Change management is an intricate dance between vision, strategy, execution, and perhaps most importantly, adoption. The ultimate goal of any change initiative is not merely to implement new systems, processes, or regulations, but rather to embed these changes into the very fabric of the organization, ensuring widespread adoption and long-term sustainability.
What are the key adoption metrics that companies should track?
Key adoption metrics include user engagement rates, feature usage, retention rates, and the number of customers providing customer feedback. Tracking these metrics helps companies assess the effectiveness of their change management strategies, ensuring successful implementation and identifying areas for improvement. Consistent evaluation leads to enhanced user experiences and better overall outcomes during the adoption process.
What are the key adoption metrics that companies should track?
Key adoption metrics companies should track, including essential product adoption metrics, such as product stickiness, user engagement, customer retention rates, and conversion rates. Additionally, monitoring customer feedback and satisfaction scores can provide insights into how well the change is being received and inform the product roadmap, which is crucial for fostering customer loyalty. These metrics help organizations measure the success of their change initiatives and identify areas for improvement.
However, achieving full adoption is no small feat. Many change initiatives falter along the way, failing to garner the buy-in and commitment necessary for success. Even when adoption is initially achieved, sustaining it over time presents its own set of challenges.
What are the key adoption metrics that companies should track?
Key adoption metrics companies should track include user engagement, feature usage and adoption, onboarding process drop offs, retention rates, daily active users, feature activation rate, product adoption rate, and feedback scores. These indicators help assess user behavior and how well employees embrace new tools or processes, including the adoption of new features, guiding improvements in the parts of your product experience and ensuring successful implementation of the product’s core features. Monitoring these metrics fosters a culture of continuous improvement, offers insights into user behavior, and better aligns with organizational goals.
Change adoption is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. It’s influenced by a myriad of factors, including organizational culture, leadership support, employee engagement, and the nature of the change itself. Therefore, it’s essential to approach the measurement of adoption metrics with a nuanced understanding of these dynamics.
Before diving into specific metrics, let’s explore some fundamental principles of change adoption:
Context Matters: Every change initiative is unique, shaped by its context, stakeholders, and objectives. What works for one organization may not necessarily work for another. Therefore, it’s crucial to tailor adoption metrics to align with the specific goals and dynamics of each initiative.
Focus on Outcomes: Adoption metrics should go beyond mere activities or outputs and focus on outcomes. Instead of measuring how many employees attended training sessions, for example, focus on whether the training resulted in improved performance or behaviour change, and that the feature adoption rate is adequate. For example, the average time of performing a process or task, average session duration, and monthly active users for a product feature.
Continuous Monitoring: Change adoption is not a one-time event but an ongoing process. Continuous monitoring of adoption metrics allows organizations to identify trends, address challenges, and make course corrections as needed.
Now, let’s explore user adoption and adoption metrics across different types of change initiatives, including those related to user personas:
Metrics for System Implementations:
System implementations, whether it’s a new CRM platform, ERP system, or productivity tool, often represent significant investments for organizations. To ensure a return on investment, it’s crucial to measure adoption effectively. Here are some key metrics to consider:
System Feature Usage Frequency: Measure how frequently employees utilize various features of the new system. This metric provides insights into whether employees are leveraging the system to its full potential and identifies areas for additional training or support.
Process Efficiency: Assess the efficiency gains achieved through the implementation of the new system. This metric quantifies improvements in workflow efficiency, resource utilization, and cycle times.
Customer Conversation Audit: If the change is aimed to improve the quality of customer interactions post-implementation, then the customer conversation should be audited. This metric focuses on whether the system enhances customer information accessibility, improves service representation, and ultimately leads to higher customer satisfaction.
Sales Volume: If the system aims to boost sales, track changes in sales volume post-implementation. This metric provides a tangible indicator of the system’s impact on revenue generation and business performance.
Information Completeness: Measure the completeness of customer information captured by the new system. This metric highlights the system’s effectiveness in capturing and storing relevant data, which is critical for decision-making and customer service.
Customer Satisfaction: Gauge customer satisfaction levels following the system implementation. This metric reflects the system’s ability to meet customer needs, deliver value, and enhance overall experience and satisfaction.
Metrics for Compliance Initiatives:
Compliance initiatives, whether it’s adherence to regulatory standards, industry certifications, or internal policies, require meticulous attention to detail. Here are some key metrics to consider for measuring compliance adoption:
Process Compliance: Monitor adherence to regulatory processes and requirements. This metric ensures that the organization remains compliant with relevant regulations and mitigates the risk of non-compliance penalties.
Rated Compliance of Targeted Behaviours: Evaluate the compliance level of specific behaviours targeted by the regulatory change. This metric provides insights into whether employees are adopting the prescribed behaviours and following compliance protocols.
Frequency of Team Leader Coaching: Track the frequency of coaching sessions conducted by team leaders to reinforce compliance behaviours. This metric emphasizes the role of leadership in driving and sustaining compliance across the organization.
Customer Feedback: Solicit feedback from customers regarding their experience with the organization post-compliance implementation. This metric captures customer perceptions of the organization’s adherence to regulatory standards and its commitment to compliance.
Number of Incidents: Depending on the nature of compliance requirements, track the number of incidents related to non-compliance. This metric serves as an early warning system for identifying areas of weakness in compliance efforts and implementing corrective actions.
Metrics for Restructuring Initiatives:
Restructuring initiatives, whether driven by mergers, acquisitions, organizational realignment, or cost-cutting measures, often have far-reaching implications for employees, departments, and the overall organizational structure. Measuring adoption in restructuring initiatives requires a nuanced understanding of the changes’ impact on employee morale, productivity, and alignment with organizational goals. Here are some key metrics to consider:
Employee Engagement and Morale: Measure changes in employee engagement and morale before, during, and after the restructuring initiative. Surveys, focus groups, and one-on-one interviews can provide valuable insights into employees’ perceptions, concerns, and levels of commitment to the new organizational structure.
Organizational Alignment: Assess the degree to which the restructuring initiative aligns with the organization’s strategic objectives and long-term vision. Key performance indicators (KPIs), such as revenue growth, market share, and customer satisfaction, can help gauge the effectiveness of the restructuring in driving organizational alignment and performance.
Communication Effectiveness: Evaluate the effectiveness of communication channels and messaging during the restructuring process. Metrics such as employee feedback on communication clarity, frequency of updates, and perceived transparency can shed light on the effectiveness of communication strategies in managing change and alleviating uncertainty.
Employee Productivity and Performance: Monitor changes in employee productivity and performance following the restructuring initiative. Key metrics may include employee turnover rates, absenteeism, and performance evaluations. By tracking these metrics over time, organizations can assess the impact of restructuring on employee motivation, workload, and job satisfaction.
Leadership Effectiveness: Assess the effectiveness of leadership in navigating the restructuring process and driving adoption of the new organizational structure. Metrics such as employee ratings of leadership communication, support, and decision-making can provide valuable feedback on leadership effectiveness and its impact on employee morale and commitment.
Team Dynamics and Collaboration: Measure changes in team dynamics, collaboration, and cross-functional cooperation post-restructuring. Surveys, team assessments, and project outcomes can help identify strengths and weaknesses in team dynamics and collaboration, enabling organizations to address barriers to adoption and foster a culture of teamwork and collaboration.
Implementing and Measuring Adoption Metrics:
Once you’ve identified the relevant adoption metrics for your change initiative, the next step is to implement and measure them effectively. Here are some practical strategies to consider:
Surveys: Utilize surveys to gather feedback from employees, customers, and other stakeholders. Design surveys to capture both quantitative data, such as ratings and frequencies, and qualitative insights into the perceived effectiveness of the change initiative.
Observations: Encourage stakeholders, subject matter experts (SMEs), change champions, and leaders to observe and provide feedback on the implementation process. Their firsthand observations can uncover valuable insights into adoption barriers and successes.
System Tracking Data: Leverage data captured by the system itself to track usage patterns, process compliance, and other relevant metrics. Analyze this data to identify trends and areas for improvement in adoption efforts.
Employee or Stakeholder Feedback Sessions: Conduct regular meetings, interviews, or workshops to solicit feedback from employees and stakeholders. Create a safe and open environment for sharing concerns, challenges, and suggestions related to the change initiative.
Continuous Improvement: Use adoption metrics as a basis for continuous improvement. Regularly review and analyze adoption data to identify areas of success and opportunities for enhancement. Make adjustments to strategies, communication plans, and support mechanisms as needed to drive greater adoption.
Measuring Behaviours in System Implementations:
A significant portion of change involved system or digital change. In system implementations, the successful adoption of new technologies and processes often hinges on changes in employee behaviours. While it’s essential to track macro-level outcomes such as system usage frequency and process efficiency, measuring micro-behaviours provides a stronger link to the direct, underlying drivers of adoption. Here’s how to measure targeted and specific micro-behaviours in the context of a system implementation:
User Interface Navigation: Assess employees’ proficiency in navigating the new system’s user interface. Track metrics such as the time taken to complete common tasks, the number of clicks required to access key features, and the frequency of help requests. If these are not available, observational studies and user feedback can also provide valuable insights into usability issues and training needs.
Data Entry Accuracy: Measure the accuracy of data entry performed by employees using the new system. Compare the quality of data input before and after the implementation, looking for improvements in data accuracy, completeness, and consistency. Conduct periodic audits and spot checks to identify errors and areas for improvement.
Workflow Integration: Evaluate the extent to which employees integrate the new system into their existing workflows. Track metrics such as the proportion of tasks completed using the new system versus legacy systems, the frequency of workarounds or manual interventions, and the level of integration with other tools or processes. Interviews and focus groups can uncover barriers to workflow integration and inform targeted interventions.
Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing: Measure employees’ engagement in collaborative activities and knowledge sharing facilitated by the new system. Look for indicators such as the frequency of document sharing, participation in online discussions or forums, and contributions to shared repositories or knowledge bases. Social network analysis and peer assessments can highlight patterns of collaboration and identify key influencers or knowledge brokers within the organization.
Adoption of Best Practices: Assess employees’ adoption of best practices and standardized workflows supported by the new system. Monitor adherence to established guidelines, protocols, and procedures, looking for deviations or non-compliance. Use performance metrics such as error rates, rework cycles, and customer satisfaction scores to evaluate the effectiveness of best practices in driving desired outcomes.
Change Agent Engagement: Measure the engagement and effectiveness of change agents, champions, or ambassadors tasked with promoting adoption of the new system. Track metrics such as the frequency of communication and training sessions led by change agents, the level of participation in peer support networks or mentoring programs, and the impact of their advocacy efforts on adoption rates. Surveys and feedback mechanisms can assess the perceived credibility, accessibility, and responsiveness of change agents.
Implementing and Measuring Micro-Behaviours:
Define Clear and Measurable Objectives: Identify specific behaviours that are critical to the success of the system implementation and define clear, measurable objectives for each behaviour. Ensure alignment with broader adoption goals and desired outcomes.
Select Relevant Metrics: Choose metrics that are closely aligned with the targeted micro-behaviours and are actionable, observable, and trackable over time. Consider a combination of quantitative data (e.g., completion rates, error rates) and qualitative insights (e.g., user feedback, observational data) to provide a comprehensive understanding of behaviour change.
Utilize Multiple Data Sources: Gather data from multiple sources, including system logs, user activity tracking, surveys, interviews, and observational studies. Triangulating data from different sources enhances the reliability and validity of measurement and provides a more holistic view of behaviour change.
Monitor Progress Continuously: Establish a system for continuous monitoring of micro-behaviours throughout the implementation process. Regularly review and analyze data to identify trends, patterns, and areas for improvement. Use real-time feedback mechanisms to address issues and reinforce positive behaviours promptly.
Provide Timely Feedback and Support: Provide employees with timely feedback on their performance and progress toward behaviour change goals. Offer targeted support, training, and resources to address skill gaps, overcome barriers, and reinforce desired behaviours. Celebrate successes and recognize individuals or teams that demonstrate exemplary behaviour change.
Iterate and Adapt: Continuously iterate and adapt your measurement approach based on ongoing feedback and insights. Adjust metrics, data collection methods, and interventions as needed to respond to changing circumstances, emerging challenges, and evolving user needs. Be flexible and open to experimentation to optimize the effectiveness of your behaviour change efforts.
How Many Metrics Should I Use?
When it comes to measuring behaviour change in change initiatives, the age-old adage “less is more” holds true. While it may be tempting to track a multitude of metrics in the hopes of capturing every aspect of adoption, focusing on the critical few behaviours that will have the most direct impact on the outcome of the change is essential. You are also not going to have the bandwidth and resources to measure ‘everything’. Here’s how to determine the right number of metrics to use:
Focus on Key Objectives: Start by identifying the key objectives of the change initiative. What are the primary outcomes you hope to achieve? Whether it’s increased system usage, improved process efficiency, enhanced customer satisfaction, or compliance with regulatory standards, prioritize the behaviours that directly contribute to these objectives.
Prioritize High-Impact Behaviours: Narrow down your list of behaviours to those that have the most significant impact on achieving your key objectives. What are the critical few behaviours that, if changed, would lead to the greatest improvement in outcomes? Focus on behaviours that are both important and feasible to change within the scope of the initiative.
Consider Complexity and Manageability: Be mindful of the complexity and manageability of the behaviours you choose to measure. While it’s important to capture a comprehensive view of behaviour change, tracking too many metrics can become overwhelming and dilute focus. Aim for a manageable number of metrics that are meaningful, actionable, and directly linked to the desired outcomes.
Quantitative vs Qualitative Metrics: Whilst quantitative metrics are usually preferred by executives and easier to report on, sometimes you may need to incorporate qualitative metrics to gain a holistic understanding of behaviour change. Quantitative metrics such as completion rates, error rates, and productivity measures provide objective data on behaviour performance, while qualitative insights from surveys, interviews, and observations offer deeper context and understanding.
Consider Interdependencies and Trade-Offs: Recognize that behaviours are often interconnected, and changes in one behaviour may impact others. Consider the interdependencies and potential trade-offs between different behaviours when selecting your metrics. Focus on behaviours that have a ripple effect and can drive change across multiple dimensions of the initiative.
By focusing on the critical few behaviours that have the most direct impact on the outcome of the change, you can streamline measurement efforts, maintain clarity of purpose, and maximize the effectiveness of your change initiative. Remember, the goal is not to measure everything, but to measure what matters most and use that information to drive meaningful behaviour change and achieve successful adoption of the change.
Change adoption dashboard
Now that you have determined exactly what you want to measure to drive adoption, you may want to create a dashboard. Check out our article on ‘Designing a Change Adoption Dashboard’.
Change adoption is the ultimate goal of any change initiative, and effective measurement of adoption metrics is key to integrating change into daily lives and achieving a product’s success. By understanding the dynamics of change adoption and the user journey, selecting the right metrics, and implementing them effectively, change practitioners and product managers can navigate the complexities of change and drive meaningful outcomes for their organizations. Remember, adoption is not a destination but a journey, and with the right metrics and strategies in place, sustainable change is within reach.
To find out more about leveraging a digital platform to create a change adoption dashboard click the below to chat to us.
Change management is an intricate dance between vision, strategy, execution, and perhaps most importantly, adoption. The ultimate goal of any change initiative is not merely to implement new systems, processes, or regulations, but rather to embed these changes into the very fabric of the organization, ensuring widespread adoption and long-term sustainability.
However, achieving full adoption is no small feat. Many change initiatives falter along the way, failing to garner the buy-in and commitment necessary for success. Even when adoption is initially achieved, sustaining it over time presents its own set of challenges.
Understanding the Dynamics of Change Adoption:
Change adoption is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. It’s influenced by a myriad of factors, including organizational culture, leadership support, employee engagement, and the nature of the change itself. Therefore, it’s essential to approach the measurement of adoption metrics with a nuanced understanding of these dynamics.
Before diving into specific metrics, let’s explore some fundamental principles of change adoption:
Context Matters: Every change initiative is unique, shaped by its context, stakeholders, and objectives. What works for one organization may not necessarily work for another. Therefore, it’s crucial to tailor adoption metrics to align with the specific goals and dynamics of each initiative.
Focus on Outcomes: Adoption metrics should go beyond mere activities or outputs and focus on outcomes. Instead of measuring how many employees attended training sessions, for example, focus on whether the training resulted in improved performance or behaviour change.
Continuous Monitoring: Change adoption is not a one-time event but an ongoing process. Continuous monitoring of adoption metrics allows organizations to identify trends, address challenges, and make course corrections as needed.
Now, let’s explore adoption metrics across different types of change initiatives:
Metrics for System Implementations:
System implementations, whether it’s a new CRM platform, ERP system, or productivity tool, often represent significant investments for organizations. To ensure a return on investment, it’s crucial to measure adoption effectively. Here are some key metrics to consider:
System Feature Usage Frequency: Measure how frequently employees utilize various features of the new system. This metric provides insights into whether employees are leveraging the system to its full potential and identifies areas for additional training or support.
Process Efficiency: Assess the efficiency gains achieved through the implementation of the new system. This metric quantifies improvements in workflow efficiency, resource utilization, and cycle times.
Customer Conversation Audit: If the change is aimed to improve the quality of customer interactions post-implementation, then the customer conversation should be audited. This metric focuses on whether the system enhances customer information accessibility, improves service representation, and ultimately leads to higher customer satisfaction.
Sales Volume: If the system aims to boost sales, track changes in sales volume post-implementation. This metric provides a tangible indicator of the system’s impact on revenue generation and business performance.
Information Completeness: Measure the completeness of customer information captured by the new system. This metric highlights the system’s effectiveness in capturing and storing relevant data, which is critical for decision-making and customer service.
Customer Satisfaction: Gauge customer satisfaction levels following the system implementation. This metric reflects the system’s ability to meet customer needs, deliver value, and enhance overall satisfaction.
Metrics for Compliance Initiatives:
Compliance initiatives, whether it’s adherence to regulatory standards, industry certifications, or internal policies, require meticulous attention to detail. Here are some key metrics to consider for measuring compliance adoption:
Process Compliance: Monitor adherence to regulatory processes and requirements. This metric ensures that the organization remains compliant with relevant regulations and mitigates the risk of non-compliance penalties.
Rated Compliance of Targeted Behaviours: Evaluate the compliance level of specific behaviours targeted by the regulatory change. This metric provides insights into whether employees are adopting the prescribed behaviours and following compliance protocols.
Frequency of Team Leader Coaching: Track the frequency of coaching sessions conducted by team leaders to reinforce compliance behaviours. This metric emphasizes the role of leadership in driving and sustaining compliance across the organization.
Customer Feedback: Solicit feedback from customers regarding their experience with the organization post-compliance implementation. This metric captures customer perceptions of the organization’s adherence to regulatory standards and its commitment to compliance.
Number of Incidents: Depending on the nature of compliance requirements, track the number of incidents related to non-compliance. This metric serves as an early warning system for identifying areas of weakness in compliance efforts and implementing corrective actions.
Metrics for Restructuring Initiatives:
Restructuring initiatives, whether driven by mergers, acquisitions, organizational realignment, or cost-cutting measures, often have far-reaching implications for employees, departments, and the overall organizational structure. Measuring adoption in restructuring initiatives requires a nuanced understanding of the changes’ impact on employee morale, productivity, and alignment with organizational goals. Here are some key metrics to consider:
Employee Engagement and Morale: Measure changes in employee engagement and morale before, during, and after the restructuring initiative. Surveys, focus groups, and one-on-one interviews can provide valuable insights into employees’ perceptions, concerns, and levels of commitment to the new organizational structure.
Organizational Alignment: Assess the degree to which the restructuring initiative aligns with the organization’s strategic objectives and long-term vision. Key performance indicators (KPIs), such as revenue growth, market share, and customer satisfaction, can help gauge the effectiveness of the restructuring in driving organizational alignment and performance.
Communication Effectiveness: Evaluate the effectiveness of communication channels and messaging during the restructuring process. Metrics such as employee feedback on communication clarity, frequency of updates, and perceived transparency can shed light on the effectiveness of communication strategies in managing change and alleviating uncertainty.
Employee Productivity and Performance: Monitor changes in employee productivity and performance following the restructuring initiative. Key metrics may include employee turnover rates, absenteeism, and performance evaluations. By tracking these metrics over time, organizations can assess the impact of restructuring on employee motivation, workload, and job satisfaction.
Leadership Effectiveness: Assess the effectiveness of leadership in navigating the restructuring process and driving adoption of the new organizational structure. Metrics such as employee ratings of leadership communication, support, and decision-making can provide valuable feedback on leadership effectiveness and its impact on employee morale and commitment.
Team Dynamics and Collaboration: Measure changes in team dynamics, collaboration, and cross-functional cooperation post-restructuring. Surveys, team assessments, and project outcomes can help identify strengths and weaknesses in team dynamics and collaboration, enabling organizations to address barriers to adoption and foster a culture of teamwork and collaboration.
Implementing and Measuring Adoption Metrics:
Once you’ve identified the relevant adoption metrics for your change initiative, the next step is to implement and measure them effectively. Here are some practical strategies to consider:
Surveys: Utilize surveys to gather feedback from employees, customers, and other stakeholders. Design surveys to capture both quantitative data, such as ratings and frequencies, and qualitative insights into the perceived effectiveness of the change initiative.
Observations: Encourage stakeholders, subject matter experts (SMEs), change champions, and leaders to observe and provide feedback on the implementation process. Their firsthand observations can uncover valuable insights into adoption barriers and successes.
System Tracking Data: Leverage data captured by the system itself to track usage patterns, process compliance, and other relevant metrics. Analyze this data to identify trends and areas for improvement in adoption efforts.
Employee or Stakeholder Feedback Sessions: Conduct regular meetings, interviews, or workshops to solicit feedback from employees and stakeholders. Create a safe and open environment for sharing concerns, challenges, and suggestions related to the change initiative.
Continuous Improvement: Use adoption metrics as a basis for continuous improvement. Regularly review and analyze adoption data to identify areas of success and opportunities for enhancement. Make adjustments to strategies, communication plans, and support mechanisms as needed to drive greater adoption.
Measuring Behaviours in System Implementations:
A significant portion of change involved system or digital change. In system implementations, the successful adoption of new technologies and processes often hinges on changes in employee behaviours. While it’s essential to track macro-level outcomes such as system usage frequency and process efficiency, measuring micro-behaviours provides a stronger link to the direct, underlying drivers of adoption. Here’s how to measure targeted and specific micro-behaviours in the context of a system implementation:
User Interface Navigation: Assess employees’ proficiency in navigating the new system’s user interface. Track metrics such as the time taken to complete common tasks, the number of clicks required to access key features, and the frequency of help requests. If these are not available, observational studies and user feedback can also provide valuable insights into usability issues and training needs.
Data Entry Accuracy: Measure the accuracy of data entry performed by employees using the new system. Compare the quality of data input before and after the implementation, looking for improvements in data accuracy, completeness, and consistency. Conduct periodic audits and spot checks to identify errors and areas for improvement.
Workflow Integration: Evaluate the extent to which employees integrate the new system into their existing workflows. Track metrics such as the proportion of tasks completed using the new system versus legacy systems, the frequency of workarounds or manual interventions, and the level of integration with other tools or processes. Interviews and focus groups can uncover barriers to workflow integration and inform targeted interventions.
Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing: Measure employees’ engagement in collaborative activities and knowledge sharing facilitated by the new system. Look for indicators such as the frequency of document sharing, participation in online discussions or forums, and contributions to shared repositories or knowledge bases. Social network analysis and peer assessments can highlight patterns of collaboration and identify key influencers or knowledge brokers within the organization.
Adoption of Best Practices: Assess employees’ adoption of best practices and standardized workflows supported by the new system. Monitor adherence to established guidelines, protocols, and procedures, looking for deviations or non-compliance. Use performance metrics such as error rates, rework cycles, and customer satisfaction scores to evaluate the effectiveness of best practices in driving desired outcomes.
Change Agent Engagement: Measure the engagement and effectiveness of change agents, champions, or ambassadors tasked with promoting adoption of the new system. Track metrics such as the frequency of communication and training sessions led by change agents, the level of participation in peer support networks or mentoring programs, and the impact of their advocacy efforts on adoption rates. Surveys and feedback mechanisms can assess the perceived credibility, accessibility, and responsiveness of change agents.
Implementing and Measuring Micro-Behaviours:
Define Clear and Measurable Objectives: Identify specific behaviours that are critical to the success of the system implementation and define clear, measurable objectives for each behaviour. Ensure alignment with broader adoption goals and desired outcomes.
Select Relevant Metrics: Choose metrics that are closely aligned with the targeted micro-behaviours and are actionable, observable, and trackable over time. Consider a combination of quantitative data (e.g., completion rates, error rates) and qualitative insights (e.g., user feedback, observational data) to provide a comprehensive understanding of behaviour change.
Utilize Multiple Data Sources: Gather data from multiple sources, including system logs, user activity tracking, surveys, interviews, and observational studies. Triangulating data from different sources enhances the reliability and validity of measurement and provides a more holistic view of behaviour change.
Monitor Progress Continuously: Establish a system for continuous monitoring of micro-behaviours throughout the implementation process. Regularly review and analyze data to identify trends, patterns, and areas for improvement. Use real-time feedback mechanisms to address issues and reinforce positive behaviours promptly.
Provide Timely Feedback and Support: Provide employees with timely feedback on their performance and progress toward behaviour change goals. Offer targeted support, training, and resources to address skill gaps, overcome barriers, and reinforce desired behaviours. Celebrate successes and recognize individuals or teams that demonstrate exemplary behaviour change.
Iterate and Adapt: Continuously iterate and adapt your measurement approach based on ongoing feedback and insights. Adjust metrics, data collection methods, and interventions as needed to respond to changing circumstances, emerging challenges, and evolving user needs. Be flexible and open to experimentation to optimize the effectiveness of your behaviour change efforts.
How Many Metrics Should I Use?
When it comes to measuring behaviour change in change initiatives, the age-old adage “less is more” holds true. While it may be tempting to track a multitude of metrics in the hopes of capturing every aspect of adoption, focusing on the critical few behaviours that will have the most direct impact on the outcome of the change is essential. You are also not going to have the bandwidth and resources to measure ‘everything’. Here’s how to determine the right number of metrics to use:
Focus on Key Objectives: Start by identifying the key objectives of the change initiative. What are the primary outcomes you hope to achieve? Whether it’s increased system usage, improved process efficiency, enhanced customer satisfaction, or compliance with regulatory standards, prioritize the behaviours that directly contribute to these objectives.
Prioritize High-Impact Behaviours: Narrow down your list of behaviours to those that have the most significant impact on achieving your key objectives. What are the critical few behaviours that, if changed, would lead to the greatest improvement in outcomes? Focus on behaviours that are both important and feasible to change within the scope of the initiative.
Consider Complexity and Manageability: Be mindful of the complexity and manageability of the behaviours you choose to measure. While it’s important to capture a comprehensive view of behaviour change, tracking too many metrics can become overwhelming and dilute focus. Aim for a manageable number of metrics that are meaningful, actionable, and directly linked to the desired outcomes.
Quantitative vs Qualitative Metrics: Whilst quantitative metrics are usually preferred by executives and easier to report on, sometimes you may need to incorporate qualitative metrics to gain a holistic understanding of behaviour change. Quantitative metrics such as completion rates, error rates, and productivity measures provide objective data on behaviour performance, while qualitative insights from surveys, interviews, and observations offer deeper context and understanding.
Consider Interdependencies and Trade-Offs: Recognize that behaviours are often interconnected, and changes in one behaviour may impact others. Consider the interdependencies and potential trade-offs between different behaviours when selecting your metrics. Focus on behaviours that have a ripple effect and can drive change across multiple dimensions of the initiative.
By focusing on the critical few behaviours that have the most direct impact on the outcome of the change, you can streamline measurement efforts, maintain clarity of purpose, and maximize the effectiveness of your change initiative. Remember, the goal is not to measure everything, but to measure what matters most and use that information to drive meaningful behaviour change and achieve successful adoption of the change.
Change adoption dashboard
Now that you have determined exactly what you want to measure to drive adoption, you may want to create a dashboard. Check out our article on ‘Designing a Change Adoption Dashboard’.
Change adoption is the ultimate goal of any change initiative, and effective measurement of adoption metrics is key to achieving success. By understanding the dynamics of change adoption, selecting the right metrics, and implementing them effectively, change practitioners and leaders can navigate the complexities of change and drive meaningful outcomes for their organizations. Remember, adoption is not a destination but a journey, and with the right metrics and strategies in place, sustainable change is within reach.
To find out more about leveraging a digital platform to create a change adoption dashboard click the below to chat to us.
How can understanding the change adoption curve benefit organizations?
Understanding the change adoption curve benefits organizations by identifying how different individuals or groups respond to change. By recognizing these stages—innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards—companies can tailor their strategies to enhance communication, support, and ultimately improve the success of change initiatives.
Measuring change adoption is one of the most important parts of the work of change practitioners. It is the ultimate ‘proof’ of whether the change interventions have been successful or not in achieving the initiative objectives. It is also an important way in which the progress of change management can clearly be shown to the project team as well as to various stakeholder groups. The ability to show clearly the progress of change outcome is critical to focus your stakeholders’ actions on the right areas. It is one of the key ways to ‘prove your worth’ as a change practitioner.
Measurement takes time, focus and effort. It may not be something that is a quick exercise. There needs to be precise data measurement design, a reliable way of collecting data, and data visualisation that is easily understood by stakeholders.
With the right measurements of change adoption, you can influence the direction of the initiative, create impetus amongst senior stakeholders, and steer the organisation toward a common goal to realise the change objectives. Such is the power of measuring change adoption.
The myth of the change management curve
One of the most popular graphs in change management, and often referred to as the ‘change curve’, is the Kubler-Ross model that outlines the stages of personal transition. The model was specifically designed by psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross to refer to terminally ill patients as a part of the book ‘On Death and Dying’. For whatever reason, it has somehow gained popularity and application in change management, making it crucial to be very careful when applying this model to address potential adoption barriers in a change context.
There is little research evidence to back this up even in psychological research. When applied in change management, there is no known research that supports this at all. So be careful when you come across models such as this one that is simple and seem intuitively ‘correct’, as they may overlook stakeholders’ voices and input, which can lead to new ideas. On the other hand, there is ample research by McKinsey that shows the best way for effectively managed initiatives and transformations is that stakeholders do not go through this ‘valley of death’ journey at all.
If the ‘change curve’ is not the correct chart to follow with regard to change adoption, then what is the right one to refer to? Good question.
The ‘S’ curve of change adoption is one that can be referenced. It is well backed in terms of research from technology and new product adoption. It begins with a typically slow start followed by a significant climb in adoption followed by a flattened level at the end. Most users typically do not uptake the change until later on.
Here is an example of key technologies and the speed of adoption in U.S. households since the 1900s.
With the different types of change contexts, the shape of the S curve will be expected to differ as a result. For example, you are working on a fairly minor process change where there is not a big leap in going from the current process to the new process. In this case, the curve would be expected to be a lot more gentle since the complexity of the change is significantly less than adopting a complex, new technology.
On the other hand, if you are working on many iterative agile changes, each iteration that impacts users may be a small S curve in themselves. Ideally, each iteration work together towards a greater piece of overarching change.
Going beyond what is typically measured
Most change practitioners are focused on measuring the easier and more obvious measures such as stakeholder perceptions, change readiness, and training completion. Whilst these are of value, they in themselves are only measuring certain aspects of the change process. They can be viewed as forward-looking indications of the progress that supports moving toward eventual change adoption, versus the eventual change adoption.
To really address head-on the topic of measuring adoption of new products, it is critical to go beyond these initial measures toward those elements that indicate the actual change in the organisation, especially focusing on early adopters. Depending on the type of change this could be system usage, behaviour change, following a new process or achieving cost savings targets.
Project Benefit realization
It goes without saying that to really measure change adoption the change practitioner must work closely with the project manager to understand in detail the benefits targeted, and how the prescribed benefits will be measured. The project manager could utilise a range of ways to articulate the benefits of the project. Common benefit categories include:
Business success factors such as financial targets on revenue or cost
Product integration measures such as usage rate
Market objectives such as revenue target, user base, etc.
These categories above are objectives that are easier to measure and tangible to quantify. However, there could also be less tangible targets such as:
Competitive positioning
Employee relations
Employee experience
There could be various economic methods of determining the targeted benefit objectives. These include payback time or the length of time from project initiation until the cumulative cash flow becomes positive, or net present value, or internal rate of return on a new tool.
Employee capability
Customer experience
There could be various economic methods of determining the targeted benefit objectives. These include payback time or the length of time from project initiation until the cumulative cash flow becomes positive, or net present value, or internal rate of return.
The critical aspect for change practitioners is to understand what the benefit objectives are, how benefit tracking will be measured and to interpret what steps are required to get there. These steps include any change management steps required to get from the current state to the future state.
Here is an example of a mapping of change management steps required in different benefit targets:
Increased customer satisfaction and improved productivity through implementing a new system. | Users able to operate the new system.Users able to improve customer conversations leveraging new system features.Users proactively use the new system features to drive improved customer conversations.Managers coaching and provide feedback to usersBenefit tracking and communications.Customer communication about improved system and processesDecreased customer call waiting time . | % of users passed training test.System feature usage rate.Customer issue resolution time.User feedback on manager coaching.Monthly benefit tracking shared and discussed in team meetings.Customer satisfaction rate. Customer call volume handling capacity.
Measuring behavioural change
For most change initiatives, there is an element of behaviour change, especially for more complex changes. Whether the change involves a system implementation, changing a process or launching a new product, behaviour change is involved. In a system implementation context, the behaviour may be different ways of operating the system in performing their roles. For a process change, there may be different operating steps which need to take place that defers from the previous steps. The focus on behaviour change aims to zoom in on core behaviours that need to change to lead to the initiative outcome being achieved.
How do we identify these behaviours in a meaningful way so that they can be identified, described, modelled, and measured?
The following are tips for identifying the right behaviours to measure:
Behaviours should be observable. They are not thoughts or attitudes, so behaviours need to be observable by others
Aim to target the right level of behaviour. Behaviours should not be so minute that they are too tedious to measure, e.g. click a button in a system. They also should not be so broad that it is hard to measure them overall, e.g. proactively understand customer concerns vs. what is more tangible such as asked questions about customer needs in XXX areas during customer interactions.
Behaviours are usually exhibited after some kind of ‘trigger’, for example, when the customer agent hear certain words such as ‘not happy’ or ‘would like to report’ from the customer that they may need to treat this as a customer complaint by following the new customer complaint process. Identifying these triggers will help you measure those behaviours.
Achieve a balance by not measuring too many behaviours since this will create additional work for the project team. However, ensure a sufficient number of behaviours are measured to assess benefit realisation
Measuring micro-behaviours
Behaviour change can seem over-encompassing and elusive. However, it may not need to be this. Rather than focusing on a wide set of behaviours that may take a significant period of time to sift, focusing on ‘micro-behaviours’ can be more practical and measurable. Micro-behaviours are simply small observable behaviours that are small step-stone behaviours vs a cluster of behaviours.
For example, a typical behaviour change for customer service reps may be to improve customer experience or to establish customer rapport. However, breaking these broad behaviours down into small specific behaviours may be much easier to target and achieve results.
For example, micro-behaviours to improve customer rapport may include:
User the customer’s name, “Is it OK if I call you Michelle?”
Build initial rapport, “How has your day been?”
Reflect on the customer’s feeling, “I’m hearing that it must have been frustrating”
Agree on next steps, “would it help if I escalate this issue for you?”
Each of these micro-behaviours may be measured using call-listening ratings and may either be a yes/no or a rating based assessment.
After having designed the right measurement to measure your change adoption, the next step would be to design the right reporting process. Key considerations in planning and executing on the reporting process includes:
Ease of reporting, you should aim to automate where possible to reduce the overhead burden and manual work involved. Whenever feasible leverage automation tools and in-app options to move fast and not be bogged down by tedious work
Build expectations on contribution to measurement. Rally your stakeholder support so that it is clear the data contribution required to measure and track change adoption
Design eye-catching and easy to understand dashboard of change adoption metrics.
Design reinforcing mechanisms. If your measurement requires people’s input, ensure you design the right reinforcing mechanisms to ensure you get the data you are seeking for. Human nature is so that whenever possible, people would err on the side of not contributing to a survey unless there are explicit consequences of not filling out the survey.
Recipients of change adoption measurement. Think about the distribution list of those who should receive the measurement tracking. This includes not just those who are in charge of realising the benefits (i.e. business leaders), but also those who contribute to the adoption process, e.g. middle or first-line managers.
Example of change adoption dashboard from Change Automator
Measuring Adoption Across Initiatives
You may be driving multiple initiatives as a part of a large program or a portfolio of initiatives. The key challenge here is to establish common adoption measures that are apple-to-apple metrics comparisons across initiatives. Yes, each initiatives will most likely have different sets of what constitutes adoption. However, there are still common ways to report on adoption across initiatives such as overall percentage of adoption of identified adoption elements, or percentage of the number of milestones reached. You can also utilise manager reports of behaviours adopted, as well as system records of utilisation of certain features for example.
Understanding change adoption is not only helpful to understand what works for one initiative, it can also be a linchpin to help you scale change adoption across change initiatives across your whole portfolio. Talk to us to find out more about how The Change Compass, a digital adoption platform, can help you understand what change interventions lead to higher change adoption rates in the flow of work, through data. Using a data-led approach in deciphering what drives change adoption can truly drive successful change outcomes.
Measuring behaviours as a part of change adoption is a key part of effective change management, ensuring the full achievement of initiative benefits and helping practitioners understand whether impacted stakeholders are truly moving toward the future state. Behaviour change, particularly in domains like physical activity and health behavior, has been the subject of significant empirical research, with findings published in major outlets like Google Scholar. To design behaviour change interventions and select the right behaviours to measure, change practitioners should take a structured approach, informed by research findings and practical experience. There are different approaches to effective measurement and we explore some of these.
Selecting the Right Behaviours to Measure
Start with a clear understanding of the initiative’s objectives, the current state, the complexity of the change, different impacts, the change approach, target behaviours, and the quantum of the change being introduced. Not every behaviour is equally important; focus on the key elements most closely tied to initiative success and the full adoption of behaviours required for the future state.
Consider the impacted person’s perspective toward the desired future state: What will they have to do differently? From adopting new physical behaviours (such as physical effort required in physical activity interventions) to changes in decision-making or collaboration, choose behaviours that best reflect actual change, not just awareness or intent.
Prioritize observable and measurable actions. Research suggests that reminders of events or structured prompts can support behaviour change, but measuring the visible results of these reminders—such as compliance rates, social norm adherence, or reduction in social deviance—is essential for meaningful metrics.
Design and Measurement Considerations
Resist the heavy design of change interventions that lead to measurement overload. Simplicity and ease of understanding are crucial, both for those being measured and those collecting the data.
Draw from behavioral change frameworks supported by significant empirical research. For example, a Stanford professor’s work on social norm dynamics highlights how aligning behaviours with group expectations—rather than just individual compliance—can create more durable change.
Integrate measurement as part of a series of change interventions. Behaviour rarely shifts overnight; structured reinforcement, monitoring, and feedback, as supported by research findings, are necessary for full adoption.
Best Practice Tips
Use multiple sources of data: direct observation, self-reports, digital analytics, and reminders of events all have roles in robust measurement systems.
Anchor behaviour change efforts to broader elements like organizational culture (social norms) and systems for monitoring and feedback, to sustain behavioural change and minimize social deviance.
Apply the old adage, “what gets measured, gets managed,” but with the right focus—select measures tightly linked to initiative success.
Ultimately, successful behaviour change – and its measurement – depends on aligning the structured approach of change management with an empathy for the impacted person’s journey. Choosing the right behaviours to measure, grounded in significant empirical research and designed for ease of understanding, supports not only the full achievement of initiative benefits but also continuous improvement for future state readiness
Whilst there could be a wide range of different behaviours depending on the initiative in concern, what are some of the tips in selecting the right behaviours to measure?
Check out our infographic on the top 4 elements to pay attention to when measuring behaviours as a part of change adoption metrics. Also check out Dr BJ Fogg’s model (Stanford University) on effective behaviour change.
Level 1: Air Traffic Control—Establishing Oversight and Laying the Foundation
Seasoned transformation and change practitioners know the challenge: senior leaders are rarely interested in “change training” but are critical to the success of your change portfolio. Their engagement, understanding, and decision-making set the tone for the entire organization. The question is not how to send them to a course, but how to build their change literacy in a way that is practical, relevant, and embedded in their business agenda.
Here we explore a pragmatic approach to developing senior leaders’ maturity in managing a portfolio of change. In Level 1, we focus on the “Air Traffic Control” phase—establishing initial oversight, surfacing key data, and creating the conditions for informed leadership.
Why Change Literacy Matters at the Top
For senior leaders change portfolio literacy is more than understanding the mechanics of change management. For senior leaders, it’s about:
Seeing the full landscape of change across the business.
Understanding the cumulative impacts on people, operations, and strategy.
Making informed decisions on priorities, pace, and resource allocation.
Without this literacy, leaders risk overwhelming teams, missing strategic opportunities, and failing to deliver on business benefits. The stakes are high: the volume and velocity of change in most organizations today mean that “flying blind” is not an option.
The Air Traffic Control Phase: Creating Oversight and Clarity
The first step in building change literacy is not education—it’s exposure. Like an air traffic controller, senior leaders must be able to see all the “planes in the sky” before they can direct traffic safely and efficiently.
Key Objectives in This Phase:
Establish visibility of all change initiatives.
Surface capacity constraints and people impacts.
Create a shared language and baseline understanding of change activity.
1. Map the Change Landscape
Start by working with your PMO, HR, and transformation teams to create a comprehensive map of all current and upcoming change initiatives. This should include:
Tip: Visual tools such as rollout timelines, calendars, or dashboards are invaluable. They help leaders “see the forest for the trees” and spot potential collisions or overloads.
2. Quantify Capacity and Performance
Next, introduce data on organizational capacity and people performance:
How many initiatives are impacting each business unit?
Where are the pinch points in terms of workload, skills, or engagement?
What is the current state of change fatigue or readiness?
This data grounds the conversation in facts, not anecdotes. It also begins to shift the mindset from project-by-project thinking to portfolio-level oversight.
3. Connect to Business Priorities
Senior leaders are motivated by what’s on their agenda: strategic goals, operational performance, risk, and efficiency/growth. Frame the change portfolio in these terms:
Which initiatives are directly tied to strategic objectives?
Where are there conflicts, duplication, or misalignment?
What are the risks to business performance if changes are poorly sequenced or resourced?
By connecting change data to business outcomes, you make the conversation relevant and urgent.
4. Facilitate the Right Conversations
Rather than presenting data for its own sake, design conversations that help leaders make better decisions:
Where do we need to slow down or pause initiatives to protect capacity?
How can we sequence changes to maximize benefits and minimize disruption?
What trade-offs are required to align with strategic priorities?
These discussions are not about “managing change” in the abstract—they are about running the business more effectively in a complex, dynamic environment.
Practical Tools and Techniques
Change Portfolio Dashboards: Develop a simple, regularly updated dashboard that shows all active changes, status, impacts, and risks. Use visuals to highlight hotspots and interdependencies.
Capacity Charts: Map initiatives against business units and timeframes to show where overload is likely.
Impact Assessments: Brief, high-level assessments of each initiative’s impact on people, processes, and performance.
Monthly Portfolio Reviews: Establish a regular cadence for reviewing the change portfolio with senior leaders, focusing on decision points and resource allocation.
Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
Information Overload: Don’t drown leaders in detail. Focus on key data that supports business decisions.
Siloed Views: Ensure your portfolio view cuts across functions and business units, not just projects within a single area.
Lack of Follow-through: Initial visibility must lead to action—adjusting priorities, reallocating resources, or sequencing initiatives differently.
Building Change Literacy: What Success Looks Like
At the end of the Air Traffic Control phase, senior leaders should:
Have a clear, shared view of all change activity across the business.
Understand where capacity and performance risks lie.
Be able to make informed decisions on sequencing, prioritization, and resource allocation.
Begin to use a common language for discussing change impacts and trade-offs.
Level 2: Change Outcome Ownership—Moving from Oversight to Strategic Leadership
In Level 1, we explored how to help senior leaders achieve “air traffic control”—a clear, shared view of the change landscape and organizational capacity. This foundational oversight is essential, but it’s only the beginning. True change literacy means senior leaders move beyond monitoring activity to taking ownership of change outcomes. This is where their leadership can make the greatest difference.
In Level 2, we’ll look at how to guide senior leaders through this shift. You’ll learn how to help them balance the key levers of change, drive accountability for results, and embed change leadership into the heart of business decision-making.
Why Outcome Ownership Matters
Oversight is about knowing what’s happening. Ownership is about making it happen—delivering the intended benefits, minimizing disruption, and ensuring people are ready and able to perform in the new environment.
When senior leaders own change outcomes, they:
Balance competing priorities: Weighing speed, capacity, business resources, and strategic impacts.
Make informed trade-offs: Deciding where to invest, delay, or accelerate change.
Drive accountability: Ensuring that business leaders—not just project teams—are responsible for adoption and benefits realization.
This is the difference between passive sponsorship and active leadership.
Key Levers for Senior Leaders in Change Outcome Ownership
To build change literacy at this level, focus on five critical levers:
1. Pace and Sequencing
Senior leaders must understand that the pace of change is not just about speed to market—it’s about sustainable adoption. Too much, too fast leads to fatigue and failure; too slow risks losing momentum or competitive advantage.
How to build this lever:
Use data from your change portfolio dashboard to model different sequencing options.
Facilitate scenario planning sessions: “What if we delayed Project X by three months? What would that mean for Project Y and for our people?”
Encourage leaders to weigh the trade-offs between urgency and readiness.
2. Capacity and Resource Allocation
Change does not happen in a vacuum. It requires people, time, and attention—often the same resources needed for business-as-usual.
How to build this lever:
Present clear data on resource constraints and competing demands.
Help leaders see the hidden costs of overloading teams (e.g., increased turnover, reduced engagement).
Support them in making tough calls about where to focus and where to pause or stop initiatives.
3. Business Impact and Strategic Alignment
Not all changes are created equal. Leaders must be able to distinguish between “must-have” and “nice-to-have” initiatives, and ensure alignment with strategic goals.
How to build this lever:
Map each change initiative to strategic priorities and measurable business outcomes.
Use impact assessments to highlight dependencies, risks, and potential synergies.
Challenge leaders to articulate the “why” behind each major change.
4. Readiness and Adoption
Successful change is not just about delivering a project—it’s about ensuring people are ready, willing, and able to work in new ways.
How to build this lever:
Introduce simple readiness assessments for key initiatives.
Share data on adoption rates, feedback, and engagement from previous changes.
Encourage leaders to actively sponsor and communicate about change, not just delegate to project teams.
5. Change Leadership Behaviours
Change literacy is not just a set of skills—it’s a mindset and a set of behaviours. Senior leaders must model the change they want to see.
How to build this lever:
Provide feedback on visible leadership behaviours (e.g., presence in town halls, openness to feedback, willingness to address resistance).
Celebrate and recognize leaders who demonstrate effective change leadership.
Offer targeted coaching or peer learning opportunities focused on change leadership, not just management.
Designing the Right Conversations
At this stage, your role is to facilitate strategic, action-oriented conversations that help leaders take ownership. Some practical approaches:
Portfolio Decision Forums: Regular sessions where leaders review the change portfolio, assess progress, and make decisions on sequencing, resourcing, and prioritization.
Benefit Realization Reviews: Focused discussions on whether intended outcomes are being achieved and what adjustments are needed.
Readiness Deep Dives: Sessions that explore the “people side” of major changes—what’s working, what’s not, and what support is required.
Your job is not to provide all the answers, but to ask the right questions and surface the data that supports informed decision-making.
Practical Tools and Approaches
Scenario Planning Templates: Help leaders visualize the impact of different sequencing or resourcing decisions.
Change Impact Matrices: Map initiatives against strategic goals, business units, and risk factors.
Adoption Dashboards: Track key metrics such as training completion, usage rates, and employee sentiment.
Leadership Action Plans: Simple templates for leaders to track their own change leadership commitments and follow-through.
Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
Defaulting to Project Thinking: Keep the focus on business outcomes, not just project milestones.
Avoiding Tough Trade-offs: Encourage honest discussion about what can be realistically achieved with available resources.
Assuming Readiness: Challenge optimistic assumptions and use data to surface real readiness risks.
What Success Looks Like
When senior leaders move from oversight to ownership, you’ll see:
Active engagement in change portfolio decisions: Leaders are not just reviewing reports—they are making and owning the trade-offs.
Clear accountability for outcomes: Business leaders, not just project teams, are responsible for adoption and benefits.
Greater alignment between change activity and business strategy: Initiatives are sequenced and resourced to deliver on strategic priorities.
Visible leadership behaviours: Leaders are modelling the change, communicating openly, and supporting their teams through transition.
Ownership of change outcomes is the hallmark of mature change leadership. It’s where leaders move from monitoring activity to driving results—and where the real value of your change portfolio is realized.
Level 3: Best Practice—Tracking Benefits, Embedding Adoption, and Managing Change Risks
Having guided senior leaders from initial oversight (“air traffic control”) through outcome ownership, the final phase in building change literacy is embedding best practice. This is where change becomes a core capability—measured, managed, and continuously improved. Senior leaders who reach this stage are not just managing change; they are shaping a culture of agility, resilience, and sustained business value.
What Best Practice Looks Like
In this phase, senior leaders:
Track and realize the benefits of change initiatives.
Monitor and drive adoption, not just implementation.
Proactively manage growth, people, and operational risks.
Balance pace, capacity, and business priorities for ongoing agility.
Model and reinforce change leadership behaviours across the organization.
This is the point where change literacy becomes organizational muscle memory.
1. Tracking Benefits and Adoption
Why it matters: Delivering change is not success—realizing the intended benefits is. Too often, organizations declare victory at go-live, only to find that new systems, processes, or behaviours are not embedded.
How to build this capability:
Define clear success metrics: Establish measurable KPIs for each initiative, linked directly to business outcomes (e.g., increased revenue, reduced cycle time, improved customer satisfaction).
Adoption dashboards: Track usage, compliance, and behavioural indicators, not just technical completion. For example, monitor system logins, process adherence, or customer feedback.
Regular benefit realization reviews: Schedule post-implementation checkpoints (e.g., 30, 60, 90 days) to assess progress against targets and identify gaps.
Close the loop: Use data to drive action—adjust training, communications, or incentives if adoption lags.
Evaluation allows leaders to assess the change initiative’s success, identify improvement areas, and make necessary adjustments for long-term sustainability.
2. Managing Growth, People, and Operational Risks
Why it matters: As the portfolio of change grows, so do the risks—overload, fatigue, competing priorities, and operational disruption. Best practice is about anticipating and mitigating these risks, not reacting after the fact.
How to build this capability:
Risk heatmaps: Maintain a live view of risk hotspots across the change portfolio—where are people stretched, where is performance dipping, where are critical dependencies (including operational ones)?
Scenario planning: Regularly test the impact of new initiatives or shifts in strategy on existing capacity and priorities.
Feedback mechanisms: Create channels for employees and managers to surface risks early—through surveys, forums, or direct leader engagement.
Agility reviews: Encourage leaders to adjust plans, pause, or re-sequence changes based on real-time data and feedback.
3. Embedding Change Leadership Behaviours
Why it matters: The most successful change programs are led from the top. Senior leaders must consistently model the behaviours they expect—transparency, adaptability, resilience, and empowerment.
How to build this capability:
Visible sponsorship: Leaders must remain active and visible throughout the change lifecycle, not just at launch. Their ongoing engagement is the single strongest predictor of success.
Transparent communication: Leaders should share progress, setbacks, and lessons learned openly, reinforcing trust and credibility.
Openness to feedback: Encourage leaders to listen, adapt, and act on input from all levels of the organization.
Recognition and reinforcement: Celebrate teams and individuals who exemplify change leadership, embedding these behaviours in performance management and reward systems.
An effective leader drives momentum by visibly championing the change.
4. Building Organizational Agility
Why it matters: Change is not a one-off event but a continuous capability. Organizations that thrive are those that can adapt, learn, and pivot quickly.
How to build this capability:
Continuous learning: Use each change initiative as a learning opportunity—what worked, what didn’t, and why? Feed these insights into future planning.
Iterative planning: Move from annual change plans to rolling, flexible roadmaps that can adjust to new priorities or market shifts.
Empowerment at all levels: Equip managers and teams with the skills and authority to lead local change, not just execute centrally-driven initiatives.
Culture of experimentation: Encourage calculated risk-taking and innovation, rewarding learning as much as results.
Practical Tools and Techniques
Benefits realization frameworks: Standardize how benefits are defined, tracked, and reported across all initiatives.
Adoption and engagement dashboards: Integrate people metrics (engagement, sentiment, turnover) with project and business metrics.
Change risk registers: Live tools for tracking, escalating, and mitigating risks across the portfolio.
Leadership scorecards: Track and report on leaders’ visible sponsorship and change leadership behaviours.
Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
Focusing only on delivery: Don’t stop at go-live—track benefits and adoption for the full lifecycle.
Ignoring feedback: Build mechanisms to listen and respond to concerns, not just broadcast messages.
Leadership drop-off: Ensure leaders remain engaged and visible, not just at the start but throughout.
Static planning: Avoid rigid annual plans—build in flexibility and regular reviews to respond to change.
High adoption rates: New ways of working are embraced and sustained, not just implemented.
Proactive risk management: Leaders anticipate and address risks before they become issues.
Organizational agility: The business adapts quickly to new challenges and opportunities.
Visible, credible leadership: Senior leaders are recognized as champions of change, inspiring confidence and commitment at every level.
“The ageless essence of leadership is to create an alignment of strengths in ways that make a system’s weaknesses irrelevant.” – Peter Drucker
Sustaining Change Literacy at the Top
Building change literacy in senior leaders is a journey—from initial oversight, through outcome ownership, to embedding best practice. It’s not about training for its own sake, but about equipping leaders with the insight, tools, and behaviours to lead change as a core business capability.
As a transformation/change practitioner, your role is to curate the right data, design the right conversations, and create the right conditions for leaders to learn by doing. When you succeed, change becomes not just something the organization does—but something it is striving to improve, every day.
At The Change Compass, we not only provide the technology/platform to support with change literacy, we also guide you on influencing senior leaders through data. Chat to us to find out more.
In today’s dynamic business environment, managing multiple changes simultaneously is the norm, not the exception. As change transformation experts/leaders, we’re expected to provide clarity, reduce disruption, and drive successful adoption—often across a crowded portfolio of initiatives. In this high-stakes context, it’s tempting to lean on familiar tools and assumptions to simplify complexity. However, some of the most common beliefs about managing multiple changes are not just outdated—they can actively undermine your efforts.
Here we explore seven widespread assumptions that can lead change leaders astray. By challenging these myths, you can adopt more nuanced, effective approaches that truly support your people and your business.
Assumption 1: A Heatmap or Data Table is a Single View of Change
Heatmaps and data tables have become go-to tools for visualising change across an organisation. At a glance, they promise to show us where the “hotspots” are—those areas experiencing the most change. But is this single view really giving us the full picture?
Why This Assumption is Wrong
1. Not All Change is Disruptive—Some is Positive A heatmap typically highlights areas with high volumes of change, but it doesn’t distinguish between positive and negative impacts. For example, a new digital tool might be seen as a “hotspot” simply because it affects many employees, but if it makes their jobs easier and boosts productivity, the overall experience could be positive. Conversely, a smaller change that disrupts workflows or adds complexity may have a much larger negative impact on a specific group, even if it doesn’t light up the heatmap. Depth of understanding beyond the heatmap is key.
2. The Data May Not Show the Real ‘Heat’ The accuracy of a heatmap depends entirely on the data feeding it. If your ratings are based on high-level, generic ‘traffic-light’ impact assessments, you may miss the nuances of how change is actually experienced by employees. For instance, a heatmap might show a “red zone” in one department based on the number of initiatives, but if those initiatives are well-aligned and support the team’s goals, the actual disruption could be minimal.
3. The Illusion of Completeness A single view of change suggests that you’ve captured every initiative—strategic, operational, and BAU (Business As Usual)—in one neat package. In reality, most organisations struggle to maintain a comprehensive and up-to-date inventory of all changes. BAU initiatives, in particular, often slip under the radar, even though their cumulative impact can be significant. This is not to say that one always needs to aim for 100%. However, labelling this as ‘single view of change’ would then be an exaggeration.
The Takeaway
Heatmaps and data tables are useful starting points, but they’re not the whole story. They provide a high-level snapshot, not a diagnostic tool. Heatmaps should also not be the only visual you use. There are countless other ways to present similar data. To truly understand the impact of multiple changes, you need to go deeper—gathering qualitative insights, focusing on employee experience, and recognising that not all “hotspots” are created equal. Ultimately the data should tell you ‘why’ and ‘how’ to fix it.
Assumption 2: A Change Manager’s H/M/L Rating Equals Business Impact
It’s common practice to summarise the impact of change initiatives using simple High/Medium/Low (H/M/L) ratings. These ratings are easy to communicate and look great in dashboards. But do they really reflect the business impact?
Why This Assumption is Wrong
1. Oversimplification Masks Nuance H/M/L ratings often blend a variety of factors: the effort required from business leads, subject matter experts (SMEs), sponsors, project teams, and change champions. These ratings may not be based solely—or even primarily—on employee or customer impact. For example, a “High” impact rating might reflect the complexity of project delivery rather than the degree of disruption felt by frontline staff.
2. Limited Decision-Making Value A single, combined rating has limited utility for decision-making. If you need to focus specifically on employee impacts, customer experience, or partner relationships, a broad H/M/L assessment won’t help you target your interventions. It becomes a blunt instrument, unable to guide nuanced action.
3. Lack of Granularity for Business Units For business units, three categories (High, Medium, Low) are often too broad to provide meaningful insights. Important differences between types of change, levels of disruption, and readiness for adoption can be lost, resulting in a lack of actionable information.
The Takeaway
Don’t rely solely on H/M/L ratings to understand business impact. Instead, tailor your assessments to the audience and the decision at hand. Use more granular, context-specific measures that reflect the true nature of the change and its impact on different stakeholder groups, where it makes sense.
Assumption 3: Number of Go-Lives Shows Us the Volume of Change
It’s easy to fall into the trap of using Go-Live dates as a proxy for change volume. After all, Go-Live is a clear, measurable milestone, and counting them up seems like a straightforward way to gauge how much change is happening. But this approach is fundamentally flawed.
Why This Assumption is Wrong
1. Not All Go-Lives Are Created Equal Some Go-Lives are highly technical, involving backend system upgrades or infrastructure changes that have little to no visible impact on most employees. Others, even if small in scope, might significantly alter how people work day-to-day. Simply tallying Go-Lives ignores the nature, scale, and felt impact of each change.
2. The Employee Experience Is Not Tied to Go-Live Timing The work required to prepare for and adopt a change often happens well before or after the official Go-Live date. In some projects, readiness activities—training, communications, process redesign—may occur months or even a year ahead of Go-Live. Conversely, true adoption and behaviour change may lag long after the system or process is live. Focusing solely on Go-Live dates misses these critical phases of the change journey.
3. Volume Does Not Equal Impact A month with multiple Go-Lives might be relatively easy for employees if the changes are minor or well-supported. In contrast, a single, complex Go-Live could create a massive disruption. The volume of Go-Lives is a poor indicator of the real workload and adaptation required from your people.
The Takeaway
Don’t equate the number of Go-Lives with the volume or impact of change. Instead, map the full journey of each initiative—readiness, Go-Live, and post-implementation adoption. Focus on the employee experience throughout the lifecycle, not just at the technical milestone.
Assumption 4: We Only Need to Track Strategic Projects
Strategic projects are naturally top of mind for senior leaders and transformation teams. They’re high-profile, resource-intensive, and often linked to key business objectives. But is tracking only these initiatives enough?
Why This Assumption is Wrong
1. Strategic Does Not Always Mean Disruptive While strategic projects are important, they don’t always have the biggest impact on employees’ day-to-day work. Sometimes, operational or BAU (Business As Usual) initiatives—such as process tweaks, compliance updates, or system enhancements—can create more disruption for specific teams.
2. Blind Spots in Change Impact Focusing exclusively on strategic projects creates blind spots. Employees may be grappling with a host of smaller, less visible changes that collectively have a significant impact on morale, productivity, and engagement. If these changes aren’t tracked, leaders may be caught off guard by resistance or fatigue.
3. Data Collection Bias Strategic projects are usually easier to track because they have formal governance, reporting structures, and visibility. BAU initiatives, on the other hand, are often managed locally and may not be captured in central change registers. Ignoring them can lead to an incomplete and misleading picture of overall change impact.
The Takeaway
To truly understand and manage the cumulative impact of change, track both strategic and BAU initiatives. This broader view helps you identify where support is needed most and prevents change overload in pockets of the organisation that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Assumption 5: We Can Just Use One Adoption Survey for All Initiatives
Surveys are a popular tool for measuring change adoption. The idea of using a single, standardised survey across all initiatives is appealing—it saves time, simplifies reporting, and allows for easy comparison. But this approach rarely delivers meaningful insights.
Why This Assumption is Wrong
1. Every Initiative Is Unique Each change initiative has its own objectives, adoption targets, and success metrics. A generic survey cannot capture the specific behaviours, attitudes, or outcomes that matter for each project. If you try to make one survey fit all, you end up with questions so broad that the data becomes meaningless and unhelpful.
2. Timing Matters The right moment to measure adoption varies by initiative. Some changes require immediate feedback post-Go-Live, while others need follow-up months later to assess true behavioural change. Relying on a single survey at a fixed time can miss critical insights about the adoption curve.
3. Depth and Relevance Are Lost A one-size-fits-all survey lacks the depth needed to diagnose issues, reinforce learning, or support targeted interventions. It may also fail to engage employees, who can quickly spot when questions are irrelevant to their experience.
The Takeaway
Customise your adoption measurement for each initiative. Tailor questions to the specific outcomes you want to achieve, and time your surveys to capture meaningful feedback. Consider multiple touchpoints to track adoption over time and reinforce desired behaviours.
Assumption 6: ‘Change Impost’ Understanding Helps the Business
The term “change impost” has crept into the vocabulary of many organisations, often used to describe the perceived burden that change initiatives place on the business. On the surface, it might seem helpful to quantify this “impost” so that leaders can manage or minimise it. However, this framing is fraught with problems.
Why This Assumption is Wrong
1. Negative Framing Fuels Resistance Describing change as an “impost” positions it as something external, unwelcome, and separate from “real” business work. This language reinforces the idea that change is a distraction or a burden, rather than a necessary part of growth and improvement. Stakeholders who hear change discussed in these terms may lead to the reinforcement of negativity towards change versus incorporating change as part of normal business work.
2. It Artificially Separates ‘Change’ from ‘Business’ In reality, change is not an add-on—it is intrinsic to business evolution. By treating change as something apart from normal operations, organisations create a false dichotomy that hinders integration and adoption. This separation can also lead to confusion about responsibilities and priorities, making it harder for teams to see the value in new ways of working.
3. There Are Better Alternatives Instead of “change impost,” consider using terms like “implementation activities,” “engagement activities,” or “business transformation efforts.” These phrases acknowledge the work involved in change but frame it positively, as part of the ongoing journey of business improvement.
The Takeaway
Language matters. Choose terminology that normalises change as part of everyday business, not as an external burden. This shift in mindset can help foster a culture where change is embraced, not endured.
Assumption 7: We Just Need to Avoid High Change Volumes to Manage Capacity
It’s a common belief that the best way to manage organisational capacity is to avoid periods of high change volume—flattening the curve, so to speak. While this sounds logical, the reality is more nuanced.
Why This Assumption is Wrong
1. Sometimes High Volume Is Strategic Depending on your organisation’s transformation goals, there may be times when a surge in change activity is necessary. For example, reaching a critical mass of changes within a short period can create momentum, signal a new direction, or help the organisation pivot quickly. In these cases, temporarily increasing the volume of change is not only acceptable—it’s desirable to reach significant momentum and outcomes.
2. Not All Change Is Equal The type of change matters as much as the quantity. Some changes are minor and easily absorbed, while others are complex and disruptive. Simply counting the number of initiatives or activities does not account for their true impact on capacity.
3. Planned Peaks and ‘Breathers’ Are Essential Rather than striving for a perfectly flat change curve, it’s often more effective to plan for peaks and valleys. After a period of intense change, deliberately building in “breathers” allows the organisation to recover, consolidate gains, and prepare for the next wave. This approach helps maintain organisational energy and reduces the risk of burnout.
The Takeaway
Managing capacity is about more than just avoiding high volumes of change. It requires a strategic approach to pacing, sequencing, and supporting people through both busy and quieter periods.
Practical Recommendations for Change Leaders
Having debunked these common assumptions, what should change management and transformation leaders do instead? Here are some actionable strategies:
1. Use Multiple Lenses to Assess Change
Combine quantitative tools (like heatmaps and data tables) with qualitative insights from employee feedback, focus groups, and direct observation.
Distinguish between positive and negative impacts, and tailor your analysis to specific stakeholder groups.
2. Get Granular with Impact Assessments
Move beyond generic H/M/L ratings. Develop more nuanced scales or categories that reflect the true nature and distribution of impacts.
Segment your analysis by business unit, role, or customer group to uncover hidden hotspots.
3. Map the Full Change Journey
Track readiness activities, Go-Live events, and post-implementation adoption separately.
Recognise that the most significant work—both for employees and leaders—often happens outside the Go-Live window.
4. Track All Relevant Initiatives
Include both strategic and BAU changes in your change portfolio.
Regularly update your inventory to reflect new, ongoing, and completed initiatives.
5. Customise Adoption Measurement
Design adoption surveys and feedback mechanisms for each initiative, aligned to its specific objectives and timing.
Use multiple touchpoints to monitor progress and reinforce desired behaviours.
6. Use Positive, Inclusive Business Language
Frame change as part of business evolution and operations, not an “impost.”
Encourage leaders and teams to see change work as integral to ongoing success.
7. Plan for Peaks and Recovery
Strategically sequence changes to align with business priorities and capacity.
Build in recovery periods after major waves of change to maintain energy and engagement.
Managing multiple changes in a complex organisation is never easy—but it’s made harder by clinging to outdated assumptions. By challenging these myths and adopting a more nuanced, evidence-based approach, change management and transformation leaders can better support their people, deliver real value, and drive sustainable success.
Remember: Effective change management is not about ticking boxes or flattening curves. It’s about understanding the lived experience of change, making informed decisions, and leading with empathy and clarity in a world that never stands still.
At The Change Compass, we’ve incorporated various best practices into our tool to capture change data across the organisation. Chat to us to find out more.
