Digital Transformation and Change Management Course

Programme Summary

Digital Transformation and Change Management is a five-day training course for managers and leaders who sponsor or run digital change, culminating in a digital change roadmap for an initiative in their own organisation. New platforms often fail not on technology but on people: low adoption, quiet resistance and skills gaps. The approach connects recognised change models with digital maturity diagnostics, stakeholder planning, culture and skills development, and adoption measurement. Mars Training Centre UK delivers this programme in leading change management within digital transformation.

The Business Case

Digital investment returns value only when people use new systems and working practices as intended. Organisations that plan the human side of transformation alongside the technical roadmap reduce rework, shorten the time to stable use and avoid costly parallel running of old and new processes. Leaders who can diagnose readiness and measure adoption make better decisions on where to intervene.

• User Adoption and Utilisation: Raises the share of staff actively using new digital tools by targeting awareness, ability and reinforcement gaps.
• Time to Benefit Realisation: Shortens the period between go-live and expected operational gains through readiness planning and early adoption tracking.
• Change-Related Attrition and Disruption: Reduces disengagement and productivity loss by addressing resistance and communication early.

Principles and Evidence Base

• Lewin's Three-Stage Model: Frames the unfreeze, change and refreeze logic used to diagnose where a digital initiative currently stands.
• Kotter's 8-Step Change Model: Structures the leadership actions for urgency, coalition building, vision and short-term wins covered in Sessions 1 and 3.
• ADKAR Model: Underpins the individual-level diagnosis of awareness, desire, knowledge, ability and reinforcement applied in Sessions 2 and 4.
• Digital Maturity Assessment: Provides the organisational baseline against which readiness, capability gaps and priorities are set.

Intended Participants

• Managers who sponsor or lead the rollout of new digital platforms, data tools or automated processes.
• Leaders accountable for the adoption and business results of transformation programmes.
• Heads of function who must prepare teams, roles and workflows for digital ways of working.
• Programme and transformation office leads coordinating change across several initiatives.
• Human resources and learning leaders shaping digital skills and culture plans.

The programme serves operations, information technology, human resources and strategy functions in government entities, banking, energy and healthcare.

Learning Outcomes

1. Participants will be able to select and combine Lewin, Kotter and ADKAR models to fit the scope of a digital initiative.
2. Participants will be able to diagnose organisational digital maturity and change readiness using structured assessment tools.
3. Participants will be able to construct a stakeholder map and resistance management plan for a digital change.
4. Participants will be able to design culture, digital skills and communication interventions targeted at specific groups.
5. Participants will be able to define adoption metrics and interpret usage data to decide on corrective action.
6. Participants will be able to justify a digital change roadmap that includes reinforcement and sustainment measures.

Programme Structure

Day 1: Foundations of Change in Digital Transformation

Why do digital initiatives succeed or stall, and which change model fits?

• Technology, Process and People Dimensions of Digital Change
• Lewin's Unfreeze, Change and Refreeze Applied to Digital Rollouts
• Kotter's 8-Step Model and Leadership Sponsorship
• ADKAR Model for Individual Transition
• Selecting and Blending Change Models by Initiative Scale

Day 2: Digital Maturity and Change Readiness Diagnosis

Where does the organisation stand, and how ready are its people?

• Digital Maturity Dimensions and Assessment Scales
• Change Readiness Surveys and Pulse Checks
• Change Impact Analysis by Role and Process
• ADKAR Gap Profiling for Affected Groups
• Prioritisation Matrix for Transformation Initiatives

Day 3: Stakeholders, Resistance and Communication

How are stakeholders engaged and resistance to digital change managed?

• Stakeholder Mapping by Influence, Interest and Impact
• Sources and Signals of Resistance to Digital Change
• Change Champion Networks and Sponsor Coalitions
• Communication Planning by Audience, Channel and Timing
• Feedback Loops and Two-Way Engagement Mechanisms

Day 4: Digital Culture, Skills and Adoption Metrics

How are culture and capability built, and how is adoption measured?

• Cultural Diagnostics and Desired Digital Behaviours
• Digital Skills Gap Analysis and Learning Pathways
• Leading and Lagging Indicators of Adoption
• Usage Analytics, Proficiency and Utilisation Dashboards
• Reinforcement Through Recognition, Roles and Performance Goals

Day 5: Sustaining Change and the Digital Change Roadmap

How is change anchored and the whole approach brought together for a live initiative?

• Anchoring New Practices and Retiring Legacy Processes
• Applying Readiness and Stakeholder Findings to a Case Initiative
• Course Correction Using Adoption Data
• Governance of Continuous Change Across a Portfolio
• Digital Change Roadmap Presentation and Peer Critique

Methodology

The programme relies on case analysis of digital rollouts in public and private organisations. Participants assess readiness with structured tools, map stakeholders, draft communication and skills plans and interpret sample adoption data, then test their choices through peer review that mirrors a transformation steering committee.

• Suggested activity: Diagnosing an ADKAR gap profile for three employee groups affected by a new enterprise platform.
• Suggested activity: Building a resistance management plan for a stalled automation project.
• Suggested activity: Reading an adoption dashboard and recommending interventions for low-usage teams.

Capstone Output

Each participant completes a digital change roadmap for an initiative from their own organisation. It contains a maturity and readiness baseline, the chosen change model, a stakeholder and resistance plan, communication and skills actions, adoption metrics and sustainment measures, ready for presentation to a sponsor or steering group.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the digital transformation and change management programme suit managers new to change models?

Yes. It assumes you lead or sponsor digital initiatives, not prior change management training, and moves quickly from models to diagnosis, planning and measurement at managerial level.

Which models underpin change management in digital transformation in this programme?

The content rests on Lewin's three-stage model, Kotter's 8-step model, the ADKAR model and digital maturity assessment, combined to address both organisational and individual change.

How is the digital change roadmap from the change management programme used at work?

You can present it to your sponsor or steering group as the people-side plan for a live digital initiative, then track progress against its adoption metrics.

How does digital transformation and change management differ from a digital strategy programme?

It focuses on preparing people, culture and processes to adopt digital change. Digital strategy programmes address business models, technology selection and investment priorities.