10. Understanding Change
Chapter Overview
Understanding and facilitating change is a
major task in the leadership process.
 Facilitating change is complex, fragile,
exhilarating, and rewarding.
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Understanding Change
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We no longer simply manage change, we now pursue
change.
How individuals react to change may take on distinct
cultural characteristics, but our ideas of how to facilitate
change within organizations vary little across cultures.
Losing control is a common fear of human beings and a
common concern when change is introduced.
We often fear the unknown or are unsettled in changes to
our patterns and ways of life.
Even individuals or groups who are committed to making
change may have an immunity to change due to hidden
competing assumptions that become obstacles in the
change process.
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Change vs. Transition
Change occurs at a specific time and
involves something beginning or ending.
 A transition cannot be pinpointed to a
particular time and always begins with an
ending.
 Transitions are much more difficult because
they are psychological processes that take
time to complete.
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Managing Change
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Four potential resources that can be used to
help manage change:
Situation: how you feel about the change, the timing
 Yourself: how you view change, your previous history
of change and so on
 Supports: people and resources that can be of
assistance
 Strategies for coping: steps taken to proactively
engage the change
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Understanding how change impacts you and
others around you will help you be a more
successful leader of change.
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Understanding Change from an
Individual Perspective
As you prepare to facilitate change:
 Reflect on patterns of human behavior and
how to respond to people’s reactions to
change.
 Human beings, in general, want to control
their environments, and some experience an
even greater need to be in control of their
surroundings.
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Why People are Resistant to Change
(O’Toole)
1. Satisfaction
2. Fear
3. Self-interest
4. Lack of self-confidence
5. Myopia
6. Habit
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Immunity to Change
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In addressing the immunity to change, there are
three processes leaders and groups can use in
uncovering hidden competing commitments:
Guide the group using questions to uncover hidden
commitments.
 Ask individuals or members to identify what is at the
core of their hidden commitments.
 Engage the individual or group members to start the
process of changing their own behavior so the group
can move toward facilitating the intended change for
the organization.
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Kegan, R. & Lahey, L. L. (2009). Immunity to change: How
to overcome it and unlock the potential in yourself and your
Copyright ©2013 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. organization. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press.
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Immunity to Change
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This process is complex and takes time. The
power of this model is understanding hidden
and competing commitments that can block
change efforts.
These competing commitments should be
viewed as opportunities for others to learn and
grown and not as weaknesses.
What often emerges under these competing
commitments is a basic human response of selfprotection (big assumptions or “deeply rooted
beliefs about themselves and the world around
them”).
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Questioning Big Assumptions
Notice and record the current behavior.
 Look for contrary evidence.
 Explore the history.
 Test the assumption.
 Evaluate the results.
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Reactions to Negative Change or
Changes Individuals Cannot Control
Phase 1: Stability
 Phase 2: Immobilization
 Phase 3: Denial
 Phase 4: Anger
 Phase 5: Bargaining
 Phase 6: Depression
 Phase 7: Testing
 Phase 8: Acceptance
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The Typology of Change
Depth
High
Pervasivenes
Low
Low
High
Adjustment (I)
Isolated Change (II)
Far-Reaching Change (III)
Transformational Change (IV)
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Facilitating Change
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Core values are a fundamental driving factor in
leading successful change efforts.
Introducing change for the sake of change is
contrary to facilitating change based on
fundamental values.
A challenge is to help others cope with their
uncertainties and fears.
As Rubin, Dierdoff, Bommer, and Baldwin
(2009) have found, if the leader(s) are cynical
about change, participants in the organization
will mirror these attitudes and be cynical about
changes.
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The Eight-Stage Process of Creating
Major Change
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Establishing a Sense of Urgency
Creating the Guiding Coalition
Developing a Vision and Strategy
Communicating the Change Vision
Empowering Broad-Based Action
Generating Short-Term Wins
Consolidating Gains and Producing More
Change
8. Anchoring New Approaches in the Culture
Source: Reprinted by permission of Harvard Business Review from: “Leading change: Why
Transformation efforts Fail” by J. Kotter, 73, 1995
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No matter what approach you take to try to
implement change, you must first establish a
sense of urgency.
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“We are much too complacent. And we
don’t even know it.”―Kotter
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