Why the leadership myth that change goes through predictable stages still misleads
Change management leans hard on staged models: Kübler-Ross's change curve, Lewin's unfreeze-change-refreeze, Kotter's eight steps, and Prosci's ADKAR. Each promises that if you move people through the right sequence, in order, the change will land. It's a reassuring idea for leaders navigating something they don't fully control. But look closely at where these models came from, and what the research on organisational change actually shows, and the promise falls apart. This article traces each model back to its origins, explains why the sequence itself has never been shown to guarantee success, and offers practices grounded in complexity science for leading change that won't sit still long enough to be staged.
