Navigating Change: A Practical Guide

If one thing is certain, it’s that we all experience change at some point in our careers. Whether driven by new technology, organizational restructuring, or external factors, change can have a significant impact on how we perceive our organizations, our roles, and even ourselves. Successfully adapting to change requires a flexible, thoughtful approach that balances strategy, communication, and empathy.

Common Change Models

At its core, change management is the structured process of preparing, equipping, and supporting individuals and teams to successfully adopt a new way of working. The choice of change management model depends on the nature of the change and the organization’s culture and needs, as there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Some common change management models include:

1. Prosci® Change Model: Prosci® focuses on practices to ensure that each individual embraces and adopts the change. The model is made up of three components. Together, these elements make Prosci® especially useful for bridging strategy and execution while keeping people at the center.
2. Prosci Change Triangle (PCT): This model shows how leadership/sponsorship, project management, and change management work together to help ensure success.
3. ADKAR Model: This model discusses the five building blocks for change: awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, and reinforcement. If any one of these is missing, adoption will likely falter.
4. 3-Phase Process: Using three phases divided into separate stages (i.e., prepare approach, manage change, and sustain outcomes), this model shows the critical link between individual change and organizational change management.
5. Bridges Transition Model [1]: This model focuses on transitions rather than changes. Through stages such as letting go, neutral zone, and new beginning, this model can help leaders empathetically guide staff to the adoption of a new status quo.
6. Kübler-Ross Change Curve [2]: Developed as a non-linear way to describe various stages of grief, the Kübler-Ross Change Curve has been used by organizations to help anyone navigate a significant, potentially traumatic, change or loss. It highlights emotional responses such as denial, frustration, and eventual acceptance, helping leaders anticipate and manage reactions.
7. McKinsey 7-S Framework [3]: This model outlines seven non-hierarchical factors, such as strategy, structure, systems, and skills. It emphasizes the importance of coordination between these factors to effectively evaluate organizations. When used for change management, the factors can be used as a framework to assess a current state or define an ideal future state.

All these models reinforce a common principle: successful change requires thoughtful planning, clear alignment, and a deliberate focus on how the change will be experienced and adopted across the organization. This is where preparation becomes critical.

Combining the Models

While the models above can help guide an organization’s approach to change, we have found that no single framework applies to every situation. Instead, organizations benefit from leveraging relevant strategies found across these frameworks to create an approach tailored to their needs. Each model has its own set of considerations, including:

1. Scalability: The McKinsey 7-S Framework and Prosci® are effective for planning and implementing organizational change at scale, across multiple levels of an organization. In contrast, the Bridges Transition Model and Kübler-Ross Change Curve are most impactful when leaders can engage directly with employees and manage change on a personal, emotional level.
2. Interconnectedness: The McKinsey 7-S Framework was designed with interconnectedness in mind; leaders can use this model to plan for unintended impacts by recognizing when a change in one area may impact another. A degree of interconnected consideration can also be created through a combination of the Bridges Transition Model, Kübler-Ross Change Curve, and Prosci® models.
3. Emotions: The Bridges Transition Model and Kübler-Ross Change Curve provide detailed frameworks for the emotional impacts of change. However, managers should be mindful to avoid treating Kübler-Ross as a linear process and instead respond flexibly to where employees are emotionally. Failing to do so may hinder employees’ ability to successfully adapt to change. While Prosci® and the McKinsey 7-S Framework acknowledge personal and cultural impacts of change, they provide less insight into the specific emotional experiences people face during transitions.
4. Communications: All the models offer useful guidance for developing effective communication plans during change. The Kübler-Ross Curve helps tailor messaging to employees’ emotional states, while the McKinsey 7-S Framework and Prosci® ensure communications are structured, timely, and aligned to organizational needs. The Bridges Transition Model further emphasizes delivering information with the right tone and empathy at each stage of the transition.

Preparation is the Key to Success

Regardless of the model chosen, one of the most common reasons change initiatives fall short is a lack of planning and clarity at the outset. Strong change efforts begin with clearly defining:

1. The “Why”: Leaders must clearly articulate what the change is, why it’s needed now, and what problem it solves.
2. Impacts and Stakeholders: Who will be affected and how? Understanding impacts across roles, teams, and stakeholder groups early helps identify risks, shape messaging, and build trust.
3. Roles and Responsibilities: Who is responsible for driving the change? Clearly defined ownership ensures accountability and alignment across the effort.
4. Your Action Plan: Organizations should create a detailed and transparent roadmap with timelines and key milestones. As part of this process, it is recommended the change team reviews, agrees to, and has continued access to the plan.

Common Change Management Pitfalls

Even with this level of preparation, challenges can still arise if key elements are not sustained throughout the process. Understanding where change efforts commonly fall short can help teams stay on track and adjust their approach as needed. To improve success, support teams effectively, and help ensure long-term adoption of the change, organizations should focus on these key areas:

1. Sponsorship: Active and visible sponsorship is consistently cited as the top contributor to successful change efforts[4]. Leaders must not only endorse the change but actively model it through their actions, priorities, and communications.
2. Build Capability, Not Just Awareness: Understanding the change is not enough – employees need the skills and confidence to operate in the new environment. Targeted training and support are essential to enable real adoption[5].
3. Feedback Loops: From planning to implementation, stakeholders should have multiple opportunities to share input, ask questions, and raise concerns[6]. Just as important, organizations must clearly communicate how feedback is used – failing to acknowledge or act on input can quickly erode trust.
4. Clear, Consistent, and Empathetic Communication: Change can create uncertainty, which often leads to resistance. Effective communication is continuous and often requires multiple touchpoints for messages to resonate. Communication should be frequent, clear, transparent, tailored to different audiences, empathetic, and responsive to stakeholder concerns to help reduce confusion and build trust[7].
5. Reinforcement and Recognition: Sustaining change requires ongoing reinforcement of new behaviors and visible recognition of progress[8]. Celebrating milestones, highlighting early successes, and reinforcing expectations help maintain momentum and reduce the risk of reverting to old ways of working.

Final Thoughts

Change management is not a one-size-fits-all discipline; it is a dynamic, people-centered practice that requires adaptability, clarity, and empathy. By leveraging proven models, such as Prosci®, with thoughtful planning and strong leadership, organizations can navigate change more effectively and sustainably.

The most successful change efforts share a common thread: they invest as much in people as they do in processes. When organizations define the right foundation early, plan intentionally, and support teams throughout the journey, change becomes not just manageable, but an opportunity for growth. This is especially true as organizations begin to navigate the rapid evolution of AI, where the pace of change and the impact on people continue to accelerate. Through our blogs the rest of this month, we’ll take a closer look at practical change management approaches for the current landscape.

[1] Bridges, 2003

[2] Elisabeth Kubler-Ross Foundation, 2024; Indeed Editorial Team, 2022; Tahir, 2019

[3] McKinsey & Company, 2008; The Strategy Institute, 2024

[4] According to Prosci research, participants in the Best Practices in Change Management – 11th Edition research study indicated that active and visible sponsorship was the top contributor to the success of their initiative (Creasey, 2023).

[5] Basford & Schaninger, 2016; Bridges, 2003

[6] Forbes Human Resources Council, 2024

[7] Forbes Coaches Council, 2019; Basford & Schaninger, 2016; Kotter, 2007

[8] Scherer, 2022; Kotter, 2007; Basford & Schaninger, 2016

Kayla Reid is a Senior Consultant with FMP with several years of experience working with clients on organizational effectiveness, organizational development, change management and communications. She is also one of less than 200 certified IAAP Accessible Document Specialists worldwide. Outside of the office, you’ll find Kayla working on her latest DIY project or gardening.