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DABDA is what happens when you don’t ADKAR
I believe that all management is change management. This is because management always involves the leader identifying and defining what needs to be changed, and then making those changes happen.
I often hear managers describe change as painful, and that employees will always react with shock and go through the emotional roller-coaster of Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, before Acceptance — similar to how people deal with the death of a loved one.
While I do not deny that change can be traumatic, DABDA is not a given. In fact, DABDA only occurs when ADKAR — an acronym for successful change management — is not done properly. Successful change happens when employees are Aware of the reason for the change, have the Desire to make the change, are equipped with the Knowledge and the Ability to make the change, and new processes and mindsets are put in place to Reinforce the change.
If, as a leader, you find your employees resisting change it is not your employee’s fault. It is likely because you have failed to understand, and manage, the change management process.
