Every organisation is experiencing change like digital transformation, restructures, new systems, cultural shifts, and market pressure. The challenge isn’t whether change should happen, but how to make it work for people.
That’s where change management methods come in.
But if you search the internet for guidance, you’ll often run into complicated models, conflicting terminology, and overly theoretical explanations. The truth is: change isn’t a formula. It’s a human experience that needs clarity, structure, and empathy.
This blog breaks down the most recognised change management methods, when to use them, and why modern organisations need approaches that flex to real-world complexity.
What Are Change Management Methods?
Change management methods are structured approaches used to help people transition from a current state to a desired future state.
In simple terms, they help answer:
How do we prepare people for change?
How do we lead them through it?
How do we make the change stick?
Methods give leaders, project teams, and change practitioners a shared way of working by reducing confusion, improving communication, and supporting adoption.
Why Do Organisations Need Change Management Methods?
Many projects fail not because the technology or strategy is wrong, but because people weren’t prepared, engaged, or supported.
Well-chosen methods help organisations:
Reduce resistance
Build stakeholder confidence
Improve adoption rates
Align leaders around a clear plan
Avoid the “go-live and hope for the best” approach
In other words, change management methods create predictability in something that is naturally unpredictable.
The Most Common Change Management Methods Explained
Below are the methods people most frequently search for are explained clearly, with practical insight into when and when not to use them.
1. ADKAR (Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, Reinforcement)
One of the most popular methods globally, ADKAR is people-focused and actionable.
It helps teams guide individuals through five stages needed for change to succeed.
Best for:
System changes
Behaviour shifts
Training and capability uplift
Strength:
Clear, simple, and easy to integrate into project plans.
Challenge:
Can feel linear in environments with high complexity or shifting priorities.
2. Kotter’s 8-Step Model
Developed by Harvard professor John Kotter, this model focuses heavily on leadership and momentum.
Best for:
Large transformations
Cultural change
Organisations needing strong leadership alignment
Strength:
Emphasises vision, urgency, and communication.
Challenge:
The linear steps may not suit iterative or agile environments.
3. Lewin’s Change Model (Unfreeze-Change-Refreeze)
A classic model simplifying change into three phases.
Best for:
Stable organisations
Teams needing a high-level conceptual guide
Strength:
Great for beginners to understand the psychology of change.
Challenge:
Too simplistic for complex, multi-phase transformations.
4. McKinsey 7-S Model
A diagnostic tool that looks at the whole organisation:
Strategy
Structure
Systems
Skills
Staff
Style
Shared values
Best for:
Enterprise-wide transformations
Organisations needing cultural and systemic realignment
Strength:
Encourages a holistic view.
Challenge:
Not a step-by-step roadmap but more an assessment tool.
5. Agile Change Management
Designed for environments where change happens rapidly and iteratively.
Best for:
Digital transformation
Technology delivery using Agile or hybrid project methods
Strength:
Flexible, adaptive, collaborative.
Challenge:
Requires cultural maturity and comfort with ambiguity.
A Modern, People-Centred Method: The P4E Change Model
Traditional change management methods often assume change is linear, predictable, and easily controlled.
But modern organisations know better: change is messy, human, layered, and continuous.
That’s why The Outlier Group developed the P4E Change Model, built on real-world experience and the psychology of human transition.
P4E stands for:
Position – Understand the system, culture, history, and readiness before acting.
Engage – Build ownership through co-design, dialogue, and real conversations.
Enable – Equip people and systems to operate confidently in the new state.
Embed – Reinforce behaviours, habits, and processes to make change stick.
Evolve – Continuously learn and refine, ensuring the change grows over time.
Why P4E resonates with contemporary teams:
It’s flexible, not rigid.
It complements project methods like Agile, Waterfall, and hybrid approaches.
It reflects how real change actually unfolds in organisations.
It focuses on people, not just process.
For organisations seeking to modernise their change capability, P4E offers a practical, human-centred blueprint.
How to Choose the Right Change Management Method
Selecting the right method depends on:
1. The complexity of the change – are you shifting a system, a behaviour, or a culture?
2. The pace of delivery – fast, iterative changes benefit from Agile. Structured changes may suit ADKAR or Kotter.
3. Your organisational culture – change-resistant cultures may need strong engagement-led methods like P4E.
4. Leadership readiness – some methods require high sponsorship visibility.
5. Stakeholder diversity – broader, more complex audiences require people-first frameworks.
There’s no universal best method, only the best method for your organisation and your challenge.
Common Questions About Change Management Methods
1. Do I need to follow a method exactly as written? No. Change is adaptive. Use the method as a guide and tailor it to your environment.
2. Can I combine multiple methods? Yes, many organisations blend elements of ADKAR, Agile, and P4E to suit different types of change.
3. What’s the biggest mistake organisations make? Focusing on process over people. Change fails when humans are treated as an afterthought.
4. Do small projects need change management too? If people need to behave differently, there’s a change no matter the project size.
Final Thoughts
Change doesn’t succeed because of templates or timelines. It succeeds because people understand it, believe in it, and feel supported through it.
Effective change management methods give teams structure, confidence, and clarity but the magic happens when those methods are applied with empathy, curiosity, and real engagement.
If your organisation is navigating transformation, rethinking capability, or seeking a more people-centred approach to change, we’re here to help.
Reach out to The Outlier Group to explore how we support teams through practical frameworks, capability uplift, and end-to-end change delivery.
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