The Change Journey: Merging Change Management and Service Design for Lasting Impact
Change is at the heart of progress, but successfully navigating it requires both structure and empathy. Too often, change initiatives fail because they focus only on processes or only on people. What if we could combine the best of both worlds?
Enter The Change Journey—a new tool that blends Change Management principles (such as the ADKAR model) with Service Design methodologies (like the Customer Journey). This fusion creates a powerful framework for leading change in a way that is both systematic and human-centered.
Why Merge Change Management and Service Design?
Traditional Change Management tools, like Prosci’s ADKAR model, offer a structured approach to organizational change, guiding individuals through five key stages:
Awareness – Understanding the need for change.
Desire – Developing the motivation to support change.
Knowledge – Gaining the necessary skills and information.
Ability – Applying new behaviors or processes.
Reinforcement – Sustaining the change over time.
Meanwhile, Service Design focuses on user experiences and journeys, mapping out interactions to ensure seamless and meaningful engagements. The Customer Journey tool visualizes how different touchpoints affect emotions, behaviors, and decision-making processes.
By integrating these two approaches, The Change Journey allows organizations to design change initiatives that are not only strategically sound but also deeply aligned with the experiences and needs of those affected by the change.
What is "The Change Journey"?
The Change Journey is a visual and strategic mapping tool that connects the stages of ADKAR with service design elements such as touchpoints, pain points, and moments of truth. It helps organizations understand how people move through change, where they struggle, and what interventions can make transitions smoother.
Key Components of The Change Journey:
Thoughts & Feelings – Understanding emotions, motivations, and concerns at each stage of change.
Resistance – Identifying key points where resistance arises and addressing barriers to change.
Opportunities – Finding ways to enhance engagement and leverage strengths to facilitate smoother transitions.
Touchpoints – Mapping out interactions, communication channels.
Actions to be Taken – Mapping the concrete steps needed to support change at that stage.
How to Implement The Change Journey in Real Life
If you want to successfully apply The Change Journey in a real change process, you need to run at least four 1/2-day workshops mapping the change process in this order:
Workshop with Employees – Gather a representative sample of employees who will be directly impacted by the change. Include a mix of new hires, long-term employees, and those in between to ensure diverse perspectives.
Workshop with Direct Managers – Engage the managers of these employees, as they will also be affected by the change. Present the employees' Change Journey and then map the managers’ own journey to understand their challenges and roles in the process.
Workshop with Secondary Stakeholders – Include suppliers, vendors, and third-party actors who will be influenced by the change. Mapping their journey helps uncover overlooked dependencies and friction points.
Workshop with Strategic Stakeholders and Change Sponsor – Present the previous Change Journeys and then map their own, focusing on how they will support employees, managers, and third parties throughout the transition.
After completing these workshops, use the insights to create a comprehensive change plan and implement it with a structured approach.
Benefits of Using The Change Journey
People-Centered Change – Instead of forcing change from the top down, this approach designs change with and for the people involved.
Better Adoption Rates – By addressing pain points proactively, employees and stakeholders are more likely to embrace change.
Clearer Communication – The journey map acts as a shared visual language, ensuring alignment between teams.
Stronger Long-Term Impact – Change efforts are reinforced through continuous feedback and iteration.
Applying The Change Journey in Practice
Whether you're leading a digital transformation, a cultural shift, or a new policy implementation, The Change Journey helps you:
Map the current and desired states of your organization or service.
Identify resistance points and opportunities to enhance engagement.
Co-create solutions with the people experiencing the change.
Test interventions before rolling them out at scale.
Conclusion
Change doesn’t have to be a struggle. By bringing together Change Management and Service Design, The Change Journey offers a more holistic, effective, and human-centered way to implement transformation.
Are you ready to rethink how you approach change? Let’s embark on this journey together!
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