Change management: ADKAR and Kotter 8-step
Change management is the structured approach to transitioning people and organizations from the current state to the improved state. In the 2022 CSSBB Body of Knowledge, organizational roadblocks and change management sit under Section I (Organization-wide Planning and Deployment, Leadership), with related team topics in Section III (Team Management). The Black Belt applies it from Define onward, not just at the end of the project.
ADKAR model (Prosci)
ADKAR describes the five building blocks that an individual must achieve for a change to succeed:
| Stage | What must happen | BB action if stuck |
|---|---|---|
| Awareness | People understand why the change is necessary | Communicate the burning platform — what happens if the current state continues |
| Desire | People want to participate and support the change | Identify resistance drivers (fear of job loss, extra work, past failures); address root causes of resistance, not symptoms |
| Knowledge | People know how to change (skills, processes, tools) | Targeted training; job aids; peer mentoring |
| Ability | People can demonstrate the change in practice | Practice, coaching, feedback loops; remove barriers to performance |
| Reinforcement | Changes are sustained and do not regress | Recognition, performance metrics, audits, feedback on sustained results |
The ADKAR model is individual-focused. If a team member cannot sustain a change, diagnose which ADKAR stage they are stuck in — then focus on that first barrier point; later stages rarely stick until it is resolved.
Kotter 8-step model
Kotter's model is organization-focused and is typically applied to larger transformations. The steps below are the updated wording from Kotter's Accelerate (2014):
- Create urgency
- Build a guiding coalition
- Form a strategic vision
- Enlist volunteers
- Enable action by removing barriers
- Generate short-term wins
- Sustain acceleration
- Institute change
Many references use the original 1995/1996 wording: establish a sense of urgency; create the guiding coalition; develop a vision and strategy; communicate the change vision; empower broad-based action; generate short-term wins; consolidate gains and produce more change; anchor new approaches in the culture. Recognize both.
Resistance to change
The CSSBB exam expects you to recognize types of resistance and choose appropriate responses:
- Lack of awareness: More communication, not more pressure
- Distrust: Involvement in the solution design; transparency about what changes and what does not
- Skill gap: Training and coaching, not accountability
- Structural barriers: The old system or incentive structure makes the new behavior harder — must be redesigned
Common exam traps
- Change management starts at Define, not Control. Stakeholder analysis and communication planning belong in Define. Waiting until Control to manage change is a project failure pattern.
- Regression points to Reinforcement. If people could perform the new method but the process slides back after Control, the gap is Reinforcement, not Knowledge or Ability.
- The BB manages the change process; the Champion removes structural barriers. The BB usually does not have the authority to change incentive systems or staffing — that requires Champion sponsorship.
Try 5 free CSSBB practice questions on change management and ADKAR.
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