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Navigating emotionally deep, personally challenging and organizationally burdening situations through these lenses: Kubler-Ross, Lewin and ADKAR models..

Navigating emotionally deep, personally challenging, and organizationally burdening situations through these lenses: the Kubler-Ross, Lewin, and ADKAR models.


Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, her 1969 book On Death and Dying...

On Death and Dying: What the Dying Have to Teach Doctors, Nurses, Clergy, and Their Own Families ...



The Kübler-Ross model (also called the Five Stages of Grief) is a psychological framework that explains how people typically emotionally respond to loss or major change.

Originally introduced by Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in her 1969 book On Death and Dying, it is now widely used beyond bereavement — including organizational change, layoffs, illness, divorce, failure, and career transitions.

Stages of Grief - The Loss Foundation





🌱 The Five Stages of the Kübler-Ross Model

1️⃣ Denial

“This can’t be happening.”

  • Shock or disbelief

  • Avoiding facts or minimizing the situation

  • A temporary defense mechanism

📌 In workplaces:
Employees may ignore announcements or assume changes won’t affect them.

2️⃣ Anger

“Why is this happening to me?”

  • Frustration, resentment, blame

  • Anger directed at people, systems, or leadership

📌 In workplaces:
Complaints about management, resistance to change, conflict.

3️⃣ Bargaining

“If I do X, maybe this won’t happen.”

  • Attempting to negotiate or regain control

  • “What if” and “If only” thinking

📌 In workplaces:
Requests for role changes, exceptions, or delays.

4️⃣ Depression

“What’s the point?”

  • Sadness, withdrawal, low motivation

  • Realization of the loss or change

📌 In workplaces:
Reduced engagement, absenteeism, quiet resignation behavior.

5️⃣ Acceptance

“This is what it is — I can move forward.”

  • Emotional stability

  • Readiness to adapt and rebuild

📌 In workplaces:
Employees focus on learning, new goals, or new opportunities.

🔄 Important Things to Know

  • Stages are not linear — people may skip stages or revisit them

  • Everyone experiences them differently

  • The model describes emotional responses, not weaknesses

🧠 Why It’s Relevant Today

🔹 In Organizations & HR

  • Managing change, layoffs, mergers

  • Supporting employees through transitions

  • Designing communication and support plans

🔹 In Leadership

  • Empathy-based decision-making

  • Anticipating resistance and emotional responses

🔹 In Personal Life

  • Coping with loss, illness, failure, or major life changes

⚠️ Common Misunderstandings

❌ Not everyone experiences all five stages
❌ Not a rigid or time-bound process
❌ Not limited only to death or grief

🧩 Simple One-Line Definition

The Kübler-Ross model explains the emotional journey people often experience when facing loss or significant change — from denial to acceptance.

Below is a clear, practical comparison of the Kübler-Ross model, ADKAR, and Lewin’s Change Model, with a focus on when to use which—especially useful for HR, leaders, and change managers.

1️⃣ Big-Picture Comparison

ModelPrimary FocusWhat it Explains Best
Kübler-RossEmotional responseHow people feel during change
ADKARIndividual behavior changeHow people successfully adopt change
Lewin’sOrganizational transitionHow change is introduced and stabilized

2️⃣ Side-by-Side Comparison

🧠 Kübler-Ross Model (Emotional Journey)

Stages:
Denial → Anger → Bargaining → Depression → Acceptance

Best for:

  • Understanding resistance and emotional reactions

  • Layoffs, restructuring, bad news

  • Leadership empathy and communication

Strengths

  • Human-centric

  • Explains why resistance happens

  • Builds empathy in leaders

Limitations

  • Not actionable by itself

  • Doesn’t explain how to implement change

  • Not linear or measurable

📌 Use when: People are emotionally impacted and struggling.

🧩 ADKAR Model (Individual Change Enablement)

Stages:
Awareness → Desire → Knowledge → Ability → Reinforcement

Best for:

  • Skill adoption

  • Digital transformation

  • Process or system changes

  • Performance improvement

Strengths

  • Actionable and measurable

  • Focused on individuals

  • Excellent for training and rollout plans

Limitations

  • Assumes rational progression

  • Less focus on emotions

  • Requires active management

📌 Use when: You need people to do something differently.

🔄 Lewin’s Change Model (Organizational Change)

Stages:
Unfreeze → Change → Refreeze

Best for:

  • Structural changes

  • Policy changes

  • Large organizational shifts

Strengths

  • Simple and intuitive

  • Works well for top-down change

  • Good for stable environments

Limitations

  • Over-simplistic in fast-changing environments

  • Assumes stability after change

  • Less individual focus

📌 Use when: You’re managing organizational transition.

3️⃣ One-Glance Comparison Table

AspectKübler-RossADKARLewin
FocusEmotionsBehavior & adoptionStructure & process
LevelPsychologicalIndividualOrganizational
ActionabilityLowHighMedium
Handles resistance✔✔✔✔✔✔
Measures success❌✔✔✔✔
Best for HREmpathy & supportEnablement & trainingPolicy & structure

4️⃣ How They Work Best Together (Real-World Use)

Smart organizations combine all three:

🔹 Step 1: Kübler-Ross

Understand emotional reactions
➡️ Why are people resisting?

🔹 Step 2: ADKAR

Enable individuals to change
➡️ What do people need to succeed?

🔹 Step 3: Lewin

Anchor the change in the system
➡️ How do we make this the new normal?

5️⃣ Practical Example (Digital Transformation)

Scenario: New HRMS rollout

  • Kübler-Ross:
    Employees feel denial (“Old system works fine”), anger (“More work for us”).

  • ADKAR:
    Awareness → training → practice → reinforcement.

  • Lewin:
    Old system phased out → new system adopted → policy updated.

6️⃣ Quick Decision Guide

  • Managing emotions & resistance → Kübler-Ross

  • Driving skill adoption & behavior change → ADKAR

  • Executing organization-wide transformation → Lewin

7️⃣ Bottom Line

Kübler-Ross explains feelings, ADKAR drives action, Lewin anchors change.
Used together, they create empathetic, effective, and lasting change.

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