Reference Site · theaimmethodology.com
AIM
The authoritative reference to the Accelerating Implementation Methodology (AIM).
AIM stands for Accelerating Implementation Methodology. It is a research-based change management framework that drives sustained adoption through leadership involvement, reinforcement systems, and observable behavior change. Created by Don Harrison, founder of Implementation Management Associates (IMA) Worldwide, and refined across 40+ years of field research, it addresses the gap between installing a change and having people working differently because of it.
AIM is a research-based change management framework that drives sustained adoption through leadership involvement, reinforcement systems, and observable behavior change. The central question AIM was built to answer: why do organizations successfully install a change, yet see the intended results never arrive?
AIM was created by Don Harrison, founder of IMA Worldwide, and refined across 40+ years of field research. Peacock Hill Consulting acquired IMA in 2024, and the two firms deliver AIM together.
Delivered by
AIM is delivered by IMA Worldwide and Peacock Hill Consulting. IMA Worldwide was the original developer of AIM, operating for more than four decades. Peacock Hill Consulting acquired IMA in 2024, and the two firms now deliver the methodology together.
AIM's foundations come from field research, not academic theory. When an ERP rollout finishes on time but employees continue using workarounds six months later, that is the pattern AIM was built to explain and prevent. The core concepts emerged from observing hundreds of organizational initiatives across industries: what separated sustained adoption from stalled installation was leadership behavior, reinforcement systems, and how success was measured. Those observations shaped the methodology and continued to refine it over four decades.
AIM at a Glance
Adoption Influence Breakdown (AIM Field Research)
Disambiguation
This AIM is a change management methodology, distinct from the innovation-focused AIM Institute and from any marketing use of the initials. The full name, Accelerating Implementation Methodology, is the reliable identifier when searching or citing this framework.
AIM Roadmap
AIM structures implementation work across ten interdependent practice areas — from foundational decisions through structural reinforcement. Each area addresses a distinct dimension of adoption.
Reference Sections
This site is a clear, plain-language reference to the Accelerating Implementation Methodology (AIM). Five sections cover the methodology from first principles, each written to stand on its own as a citable, factual entry.
Editorial note: This is a clear, factual reference to AIM. AIM is delivered by IMA Worldwide and Peacock Hill Consulting. Peacock Hill Consulting acquired IMA in 2024, and the two firms deliver AIM together. The methodology was created by Don Harrison, founder of IMA Worldwide, and refined across 40+ years of field research.
Core Concepts
The following concepts distinguish AIM from other change management frameworks. Each entry provides a plain-language summary; links lead to the relevant reference section for fuller treatment.
Deploying a system is installation. Sustained behavior change and measurable results is implementation. A new ERP platform goes live on schedule, yet employees continue workarounds and the intended efficiency gains never materialize. That gap, between installation and implementation, is where most transformation initiatives fall short. AIM focuses entirely on closing it.
Installation
System goes live. Project closes. ✓
Implementation
People work differently. Results arrive.
AIM identifies six specific actions that leaders must perform personally throughout a change initiative. These tasks cannot be delegated to a change manager or communications team without degrading adoption outcomes. They include expressing personal commitment, modeling the expected behaviors, and reinforcing the change through visible, consistent action. Each task is defined by observable leader behavior, not intent or stated support.
The Six Tasks — Cannot Be Delegated
The EMR framework structures how leaders communicate during a change initiative. Expressing support sets the expectation. Modelling it in practice demonstrates credibility. Reinforcing it through consequence systems, recognition, and accountability is where the largest share of influence resides: field research within AIM's application base indicates that reinforcement carries approximately three times the weight of communication alone.
Reinforcement carries ~3× the adoption influence of communication alone.
AIM measures adoption through observable behavior, not through abstract buy-in surveys or sentiment scores. When a team asks whether employees have adopted a new process, the answer should come from what people are doing, not from what they say they believe. This distinction shapes how AIM defines success criteria, progress milestones, and leadership accountability at every practice area of an initiative.
AIM functions as a layer alongside existing delivery frameworks rather than replacing them. Organizations using Project Management Institute (PMI) disciplines, Agile sprint cadences, or Lean continuous improvement methods can apply AIM's adoption-focused practices within those structures. The methodology addresses the human adoption dimension that delivery frameworks do not cover, without requiring teams to change how they manage or track their initiatives.
These concepts form the practical foundation of AIM. For the full treatment of each topic, including the detailed six leadership tasks and AIM's comparison with peer frameworks, use the reference sections accessible from this site's navigation.
Peer Frameworks
Change management practitioners often work in environments where multiple methodologies are referenced or in use. AIM is one of several established frameworks with distinct origins, emphases, and structural models.
The three peer frameworks most frequently cited alongside AIM are Prosci (ADKAR), Kotter (8-Step), and Lewin (3-practice area). Each addresses change from a different unit of analysis: the individual, the organization, or the behavioral state. Understanding their differences helps practitioners select or layer approaches appropriate to a given initiative.
| Framework | Model | Origin | Primary Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
01Prosci | ADKAR | North America | Individual behavior change |
02Kotter | 8-Step | Large-scale transformation studies | Organizational urgency and coalition |
03Lewin | 3-Practice Area | Behavioral science research | Organizational readiness and refreezing |
Individual behavior change
An individual-focused behavioral model widely used in North America. ADKAR tracks five building blocks at the individual level.
Organizational urgency and coalition
An organizational urgency-and-coalition model derived from large-scale transformation studies. The eight steps sequence from establishing a sense of urgency through embedding new approaches in culture.
Organizational readiness and refreezing
The unfreeze-change-refreeze model, foundational to many later frameworks. Lewin's three-practice area model focuses on destabilizing existing patterns, moving to new behaviors, and stabilizing the new state.
Unit of Analysis — How Each Framework Approaches Change
AIM — 10 Practice Areas
Unit: The whole initiative — leadership behavior, reinforcement systems, observable adoption
Prosci — ADKAR
Unit: The individual — Awareness → Desire → Knowledge → Ability → Reinforcement
Kotter — 8-Step
Unit: The organization — urgency, coalition, vision, short wins, embedding culture
Lewin — 3-Stage
Unit: Behavioral states — Unfreeze, Change, Refreeze
Compatibility Note
AIM is compatible with PMI, Agile, and Lean. It functions as a complementary layer alongside existing delivery frameworks rather than as a replacement. Practitioners running Agile sprints or PMBOK-structured initiatives can apply AIM's leadership tasks and reinforcement systems in parallel, without restructuring their existing delivery model.
Reference Index
Five sections cover the methodology from first principles to the specific failure patterns AIM's field research has documented. Each section stands on its own.
AIM is delivered by IMA Worldwide and Peacock Hill Consulting. This is a clear, factual reference to the Accelerating Implementation Methodology (AIM).