Organizational Change Management
3
Models
Kotter, ADKAR, Lewin
8
Kotter Steps
Urgency to anchoring in culture
26%
Biz Env Weight
Jumped from 8% to 26% on the July 2026 ECO
change is a staircase · skip a step and you fall
Kotter's 8-Step Ladder
how to read this
- › Eight steps, bottom-left to top-right. Each step builds on the previous.
- › The first three are mindset (urgency, coalition, vision). The middle three are action (communicate, empower, wins). The last two are durability (consolidate, anchor).
- › Most change programs fail because someone skips urgency and jumps straight to communication. Nobody listens without the burning platform.
- › "Short-term wins" (step 6) is critical — people need proof in the first 6–18 months or the effort dies.
ADKAR & Lewin · Individual vs Stage
ADKAR · individual journey
Awareness
know change is coming
Desire
want to participate
Knowledge
know how to change
Ability
can actually do it
Reinforcement
sustain it
Lewin · three phases
Unfreeze
🧊→💧break the status quo
Change
💧→move to new state
Refreeze
→🧊solidify the new normal
Exam Traps
Organizational change is different from project change control
Project change control handles scope and schedule requests. Organizational change management helps people adopt new ways of working. The exam tests both.
The PM supports, does not lead
Organizational change is typically led by change management specialists or business leaders. The PM supports adoption but is rarely accountable.
Resistance is expected
People resist change for valid reasons. Dismissing resistance as irrational is wrong. Listen, understand, address the underlying concern.
Kotter starts with urgency, not planning
Step 1 of Kotter's 8 steps is creating a sense of urgency. Without it, change efforts stall. The exam tests the order.
Change people, not just process
A perfectly planned rollout fails if people do not adopt it. Adoption is half the work.
Do not skip urgency
Kotter step 1 is urgency. Without it, nothing else works.
Your doctor tells you to exercise or face consequences. Suddenly change feels necessary. That is Kotter step 1.
You tell a friend and commit together. Change needs allies, not heroes.
Picture what fit looks like. Motivation needs a target, not just fear.
Once working out is just "what I do on Mondays," it stops being change. It becomes habit. That is the final Kotter step.
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