Change fitness follows a normal distribution, like many other aspects of our world. This means the average person has an average amount of change fitness. A small percentage of the population has lots of it and a small percentage of the population has very little of it.I argue that change fitness is acquired via learning. This means there must be some force in a community that limits excessive amounts and very low levels of change fitness. What could that force [...]
This sign has appeared outside London Tube stations and speaks to the realities of life during a pandemic. A few people get the green light to travel and everyone else goes home.But life has never been much different in some ways. Some people travel along life’s tube getting green lights all the way, while others don’t get far. Everywhere they turn they encounter one red light after another.Are you one of the lucky ones who travels with green lights? Or [...]
You Are the Magic Have you ever felt like you’re not very important? I think most of us feel like that from time to time. I know I have – many times.It’s easy to feel down on yourself sometimes. Perhaps you feel no one listens to you or cares what you think. Maybe you think no one understands you. Or perhaps you’ve been working very hard on something, yet nobody shows much interest in it.Whether we’re:building our business,advancing our career,working [...]
How useful would it be if you could predict with pinpoint accuracy what will happen in the future? Imagine you could accurately predict the performance of a coaching client over a given time period. Or suppose you could accurately predict how effective any given organisational change approach would be in the long-term. If you could make those kinds of predictions, you’d have a lot of influence over the future. But is it remotely possible? How confident can you be [...]
In a previous article, I made the claim that humans are hard-wired for change. My argument there was that, since we have managed to survive and thrive in virtually every ecological niche on the planet (or at least in a diverse range of ecological niches), we are, as a species, very adaptable and not only adaptable but also able to adapt the environment to suit our purposes. Since this is arguably true of modern humans in general, it is logical [...]
The Kubler-Ross Model (of Change)Many people are familiar with the Kubler-Ross model. This model is often cited as a description of how change works – a model of change, if you will. It is commonly used in business circles to show how people in organisations react to change. However, before we embrace the model, we should understand where it came from. It came from the work of Elizabeth Kubler-Ross. She was a medical doctor who helped people who were dying.What [...]
Growing Success We help organisations and individuals become more successful at change. We do this by developing their capacity to succeed at the change process, helping them get ready for change, and by providing actionable change management processes.If you can't change, you get stuck. If you're not agile and adaptable, you can't be competitive. If you're not change fit, you're not ready for the opportunities of the future. Personal Change Fitness Change fitness is a psychological concept that refers to [...]
Is the change process real?Is there such a thing as the change process? That might sound a strange question because there are hundreds of models of the change process and people have been studying it for decades. But is it a real thing and, if so, what is it?Models of ChangeArguably, the best analysis of the change process is the Transtheoretical Model. This model postulates that change unfolds through a series of five steps, or stages. It begins with Pre-Contemplation, [...]
The Hardware and Software of ChangeHuman beings have always needed to adapt to change. The fact that we have survived so far, have managed to occupy almost every ecological niche on the planet, and have become the dominant species shows that we do adapt to change. Yet, it’s not hard to find people who hate change. So, how are we to understand this paradox?Threat or OpportunityTo our ancient ancestors, change meant threat or opportunity. At times they faced the dangers [...]
When the change process is difficult it is difficult for a reason. The reason is that it makes demands on us. We might look at those demands in a future article (let me know if you would be interested in such an article), but for now let’s consider two general aspects about the demands of change.Self-Summoning or Self-Transforming?Self-summoning change demands that you summon your resources and bring them to the table. If the change is relatively easy, you will have [...]