Building Change Capability at Leading Insurance Company: From Fragmented to Flourishing

Challenge

The company's change management function was inconsistent across the organization. They started with decentralized change practitioners reporting directly to specific program teams—some were full-time employees, others contracted consultants, with varying levels of Prosci certification. After bringing these practitioners together under a portfolio management office, leadership attempted to build a custom change management framework.

"That framework went through a lot of iterations and it really became extremely cumbersome to follow and was never fully adopted," explains Manager Operations Change Management for the company's Operations Process & Performance Division.

When the PMO was later dissolved, change practitioners were again dispersed across the organization, creating an urgent need for consistency. They needed something straightforward and practical that all practitioners throughout the company could consistently follow.

Solution

Prosci’s research-based methodology  provided a proven approach and consistent language across the organization
Prosci’s leadership training programs focusing on each individual’s specific role in change
ADKAR® model implementation as the anchor for all change initiatives company-wide
Development of change capability through Prosci’s 3-day certification and targeted role activating training
Creation of a change management Center of Excellence to drive consistency

Simplicity Drives Adoption

The simplicity of Prosci's methodology was key to the company's success. "We love that Prosci was a research-based company with tools and resources that were already established that we could very quickly leverage to build our center of excellence," says the Head of Change Management. "We really just love the simplicity of the ADKAR model and how well known it already was."

Leader-Focused Implementation

The organization discovered that focusing on leadership engagement was their path to success. "Our opening came when we started training our people leaders on their role in change. That's when we really started seeing momentum picking up." This approach created a viral effect, with leaders across divisions requesting training for their teams.

Cultural Integration

The company embedded change management principles throughout their organization. "If we can just start everything we do with an ADKAR mindset—building awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, reinforcement—we're already doing change better. Everything else becomes easier for us to do."

Results

This leading insurance company has successfully built change management into the fabric of their organizational culture, transforming how they implement strategic initiatives.

They've trained over 400 leaders across the organization, with approximately 98% of Operations Division leaders completing change management certification. Leaders now actively seek change management support and incorporate ADKAR principles into all communications.

Every strategic portfolio initiative now reports on adoption, utilization, and proficiency metrics—a practice that didn't exist before their Prosci partnership. Change management is no longer viewed as optional but as a critical driver of project success. Leadership has embraced their role in sponsoring change, making it a standard part of their yearly leadership development program.

Most importantly, when change management principles are applied: "We have seen so much improvement when our leaders are active and driving their ADKAR action plans with their teams. We see those benefits. We see adoption and utilization proficiency."