
Leading Change With Purpose
In this new era of rapid change, traditional change management methods are becoming increasingly outdated. With more than 70% of change efforts leading to failure (Al-Haddad & Kotnour, 2015), it is essential to adapt and combine methods to stay competitive and increase the likelihood of success (Weiner, 2009; Weller, 2013). Our ASCEND model integrates tried-and-true methods into one flexible six-step model to help leaders drive lasting and sustainable change within their organizational context.
​
​
Aim
Clarity of purpose and knowing who, what, where, when, how, and why is critical.
-
Define purpose
-
Identify stakeholders
-
Determine success criteria
​​

Seek
Leaders must gather data to assess readiness and requirements.
-
Assess readiness
-
Identify performance gaps and stakeholder needs
-
Determine support requirements
​​

Communicate
Open two-way communication is essential.
-
Choose communication channels
-
Identify communication objectives
-
Build communication plan
​​

Empower
Participants must be empowered and inspired to act.
-
Provide tools, support, and opportunities for autonomy
-
Encourage collaboration
-
Assess efficiency and effectiveness of tools provided
​​

Nourish
Adoption must be encouraged and motivation maintained by building trust.
-
Improve support tools
-
Incentivize adoption and celebrate wins
-
Meet evolving needs
​​

Discover
Areas of improvement and new opportunities must be discovered.
-
Evaluate success
-
Determine lessons learned
-
Identify the next change opportunity
​​
