A group of four people sit around a table in a modern office environment, collaborating while using laptops and documents. A digital-looking overlay with graphs, data visualizations, and interface elements is superimposed in the foreground, giving the scene a futuristic or technology‑focused feel.

Change management framework – REACH

REACH empowers both individuals and organisations to embrace change, adoption and transformation
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The resistance you are seeing is not a technology problem. It is a people one.

When AI and technology programmes fail, it is not because of the technology, but because not enough thought has been given to supporting and enabling the people affected by the change. When organisations do not realise the return on their investment, it is because they haven’t listened to resistance, or the data that resistance elicits to explain low adoption rates. The human system is the missing design priority.

 

Resistance, low adoption, and passive compliance mean organisations do not realise the return on their investment. The human system is the missing design priority.

 

REACH – our change management framework

REACH is our evidence-based change management framework built to unlock transformation across all sectors. It operates at both the individual and organisational level, giving leaders and practitioners a joined-up approach grounded in behavioural science and systems thinking.  

We apply REACH, our proprietary change management framework, to address the organisational and individual conditions that drive genuine adoption. We work alongside your teams from day one, building internal capability rather than creating dependency on external consultancy. 

Two-column diagram comparing individual needs and organisational responsibilities using the acronym “REACH.” Left side – “Individual: what each person needs.” Five horizontal steps labelled vertically as R‑E‑A‑C‑H: Recognise: “I understand why this is happening.” Engage: “I want to be part of this.” Acquire: “I know what to do differently.” Capability: “I can do it.” Habits: “This is how I work now.” Right side – “Organisational: what leaders must create.” Corresponding steps aligned with each letter of REACH: Rally: Build shared understanding through genuine dialogue, not one‑way communication. Enable: Address what makes commitment difficult and what would make it genuinely possible. Architect: Make the new way of working visible and accessible, not assumed or implied. Cultivate: Create time, safety, and support for real competence to grow, not just training to happen. Hardwire: Embed new behaviours into systems and routines so they outlast the programme. The design uses dark teal and black backgrounds with white and turquoise text, visually linking individual change to leadership action through aligned arrows.

REACH

How the change management framework looks

REACH is our change management framework, built on a single insight: change succeeds when individual adoption and organisational enablement move together. Most frameworks address one. REACH addresses both. Engagements begin with a diagnostic session and are tailored to your context. Delivery tiers range from executive coaching and change manager enablement through to full end-to-end programme support, with a complete toolkit including diagnostics, adoption planning, and practitioner guides.

Change management framework benefits

Organisations using REACH progress from passive compliance to actively and consistently adopting new ways of working.

New behaviours are incorporated into daily routines, ensuring they become part of standard practice.

Internal change capability is developed for sustainable, long-term benefit.

Sponsors are able to present measurable progress to boards, going beyond initial go-live milestones.

‘We needed a partner that could understand our approach and delivery methods. This is a key deliverable for us, so we needed to bring people on the journey with us. We knew that delivery is through people and change affects people differently, so a key decisive factor for us was the profile of the supplier.


Version 1 of course demonstrated all the technical capability required but more importantly, it could offer the strategic understanding and competencies in the business transformation element. The core values of both organisations married perfectly and the discussions we had with Version 1 really helped us in delivering the total programme successfully.’

John Kennedy , Head of HR Organisational Development at Irish Rail

Why Version 1 REACH change management framework

REACH was built by our practitioners with postgraduate expertise in organisational development and transformation, and tested internally before being deployed with clients. Backed by 30 years of technology delivery experience, our credibility comes not from theory but from having lived the challenge of making change land in complex organisations. 

A group of four people around a laptop

REACH: putting people at the heart of AI

“What the REACH framework clearly does is tie together all the critical components of the systems thinking required to progressively adopt the fullness of the opportunity that AI presents.  

Where it is particularly helpful is ensuring the “human design” is upfront and core to approaching AI implementation, thereby ensuring the “efficiency trap” is navigated proactively.  

The REACH framework is simplistic yet comprehensive and will rapidly become a “Must Do” when planning the optimal way for your organisation to embrace AI which is going to be transformational in how works gets done in the future.”

 

 Alison Hodgson
Listed in Ireland’s Top 50 Most Influential CHROs 2024
Chartered Companion CIPD 

 

A group meeting in an office setting where several people sit around a table reviewing documents and digital data. In the center, one person in a dark striped blazer with glasses holds and reads a printed sheet, while another person beside them in a tan shirt and dark vest looks toward the paper and gestures with a hand. The table is covered with printed charts and reports, and a takeaway coffee cup sits near the foreground. A laptop displaying graphs and blue-toned analytics dashboards is partially visible at the lower right. In the background, a large monitor shows multiple blue charts, including bar graphs, line graphs, and pie charts. The lighting is bright and even, with neutral-colored walls contributing to a professional office environment.

Diagnostic session

A two-hour session with your senior team to map where your people are in the adoption journey and where the biggest gaps are. 

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A bright, modern open-plan office scene shows multiple coworkers collaborating and working. In the foreground, three individuals gather around a desk: one seated person works on a tablet with documents spread across the desk, while two standing individuals lean in—one pointing at the papers and another observing closely. The desk contains printed charts, a tablet, and a stylus or pen, indicating active discussion or review of data. In the background, additional coworkers sit at separate desks using desktop computers, contributing to a busy but organized workspace. Large windows flood the room with natural light, and light-colored desks, office chairs, and minimal decor create a clean, professional atmosphere.

REACH programme design

A tailored programme plan built around your context, your timeline and the specific human and organisational challenges you are facing.​ 

https://version1.thinktankdev.org.uk/contact-us/

Change succeeds when individual adoption and organisational enablement move together.

Version 1

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