APMG Change Management Foundation cheat sheet

ADKAR sequence: Awareness → Desire → Knowledge → Ability → Reinforcement; each element must be achieved in order for the change to stick.

Kubler-Ross change curve stages commonly cited: shock/denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance; individuals move through them at different speeds.

Bridges transition model phases: Ending (letting go), Neutral Zone (confusion and low productivity), New Beginning (commitment and new identity).

Beckhard-Harris change equation: D × V × F > R, where Dissatisfaction × Vision × First steps must exceed Resistance; if any factor is zero, the product is zero.

Lewin individual change: Unfreeze (create motivation), Change (learn and practise new behaviour), Refreeze (reinforce and sustain).

Resistance is a normal response; common sources include loss of control, loss of competence, loss of security and loss of social ties.

Training alone builds Knowledge, not Ability; Ability requires practice, coaching, time and removal of barriers.

Perceived personal impact, capability and support influence an individual's readiness to change.

Kotter's eight steps: urgency, guiding coalition, vision, communicate the vision, empower action, short-term wins, consolidate gains, anchor in culture.

Lewin organisational change: Unfreeze, Change, Refreeze; force-field analysis compares driving forces and restraining forces.

McKinsey 7S: Strategy, Structure, Systems, Shared values, Style, Staff, Skills; hard and soft elements must align.

Change types include incremental (small, continuous) and transformational (radical, discontinuous); punctuated equilibrium describes stability interrupted by radical change.

Change kaleidoscope (Balogun & Hope Hailey) analyses context, design choices and change management levers.

Projects deliver outputs; change management delivers outcomes and benefits through adoption and use.

Schein's culture levels: artefacts, espoused values, underlying assumptions; changing artefacts without addressing assumptions does not change culture.

Benefits management defines benefits, baselines them, and tracks realisation after go-live.

Stakeholder: any individual or group affected by, or able to affect, the change.

Mendelow power/interest grid: high power-high interest = manage closely; high power-low interest = keep satisfied; low power-high interest = keep informed; low-low = monitor.

Stakeholder salience model: power, legitimacy and urgency determine priority; definitive stakeholders have all three.

Stakeholder analysis records influence, attitude (support/oppose/neutral), impact and needs.

Engagement objectives range from inform and consult to involve, collaborate and empower.

Active and visible sponsorship from senior leaders is a top predictor of change success.

Resistance can be overt, covert, active or passive; address root causes such as loss of control or competence.

A stakeholder engagement plan specifies messages, channels, frequency, owner and feedback loop.

Communication plan elements: audience, message, channel, timing, sender and feedback mechanism.

Effective change messages are clear, concise, credible, relevant and repeated through multiple channels.

Engagement ladder: inform, consult, involve, collaborate, empower; higher levels increase ownership and require more effort.

Two-way communication with feedback reduces uncertainty and surfaces concerns that one-way messages hide.

Face-to-face channels suit complex or emotional messages; written channels suit detail and record.

Cascade communication through line managers risks distortion, so core messages must be consistent and reinforced.

WIIFM ('what's in it for me') links change messages to personal consequences and supports Awareness and Desire.

Silence creates rumour; communicate early even when details are incomplete.

Impact analysis identifies changes to people, process, technology, structure and policy.

Change impact assessment rates severity, volume and timing of impacts per stakeholder group.

Gap analysis compares current state with future state; gaps become actions for transition and readiness.

Role impact covers tasks, skills, behaviours, workload and decision rights.

Business readiness covers process, systems, data, people and support such as training and help desk.

Adoption and usage are outcome metrics; training completion is an output metric.

Higher impact severity requires greater intervention effort in training, communication and support.

Cutover and go-live depend on readiness across all impact dimensions, not just technology.

Readiness = ability + willingness + capacity to adopt the change.

Readiness dimensions include leadership, sponsorship, culture, capacity, capability, engagement and change history.

Change fatigue from repeated or overlapping change reduces capacity and motivation.

Readiness assessment baselines awareness, desire, knowledge and ability, then is repeated at milestones.

Readiness criteria for go-live include training complete, support in place, communications done and risks managed.

Readiness metrics include awareness levels, training completion, adoption, resistance levels and sponsor activity.

Insufficient capacity (time, resources, attention) is a common cause of change saturation and failure.

Participation and engagement increase readiness; lack of involvement increases resistance.