Change Management Models and Frameworks - What's Your Experience?

I recently read a post on LinkedIn that asked, “what frameworks do you have experience using to lead change in organizations?” I thought this was a great question, and timely considering a conversation I had last week as part of Apogy's Change Leader Speaker Series interviews. During our chat, my guest mentioned several models that have influenced his practice and approach to change management over the years.

"Influence" is the key word here as change management isn't new - its roots date back to the 1940's - and neither are most of the models currently in use. From Bridges to Kotter's to ADKAR, change models and frameworks help leaders better understand the individual change journey so they can guide people through the transition process in a strategic and systematic way, thus ensuring the benefits for changing are realized. 

If only it were this easy! As any OCM pro knows, the change process is rarely linear. This doesn’t mean the legacy models aren’t relevant, quite the opposite, in fact. The change models I learned more than a decade ago were instrumental in helping me understand the mental and emotional process people go through when faced with change and disruption, which enabled me to better advocate for the value and purpose of change management.

They also gave me a way to frame my thinking so I could tackle complex, large-scale endeavors using a process-driven approach. Even if I had to adapt the process to meet the needs of the business and stakeholders, at least I was working from a plan that was built on methodologies that were evidence-based.

Even so, the single most influential factor in my practice wasn't my knowledge of models or frameworks, but first-hand experience. 

I'm fortunate to have led change initiatives in a variety of roles. I've been the sponsor, the project manager, the business owner, the change manager, the direct supervisor, the change champion, a consultant, and a member of the change and project teams. I've also been an impacted stakeholder; I know what it's like to be on the receiving end of continual change while also trying to motivate a team and maintain business operations. 

My experiences, combined with a deep desire to help companies transform from the inside out, directly influenced the design of Apogy’s models and methods for individual and organizational change success. 

The ART (Aware, Ready, Trained) and Science of Change Leadership, for example, bridges the gaps between what people need to accept, adopt, and sustain change, what change leaders must do to realize the goals and outcomes of ART, and who change leaders need to be to lead change with confidence and compassion - both of which are key to developing resilient (change-ready) people and teams. 

While I’m partial to Apogy’s methodology and believe our focus on developing resilience (versus managing resistance) will produce better outcomes for people and the places they work, I’m grateful to the academics, researchers, and innovators who paved the way for the practice and created a solid foundation that we can continue to build upon. 

When it comes to change management, it is safe to say, “the bones are good”. At the same time, change leaders worldwide have a responsibility to ensure what, how, and why we do what we do continues to deliver value - especially in today's highly distributed, tech-enabled business environment. To that end, I’d also love to know your thoughts on what works and what doesn’t when it comes to leading change in the 21st century workplace. Please consider taking this brief survey, or better yet, email me at [email protected] with your insights and observations. I look forward to hearing from you. 

Sincerely, Jessica Crow (Founder and Head of Learning, Apogy)