When considering
organizational changes, it may be helpful to look to a theory of change from
the world of psychology Prochaska and
DiClemente’s (1984) Transtheoretical Model. This model, which was
originally based on changing health related behaviors, such as helping people
quit smoking, proposes a semi-linear path towards change from not contemplating
change at all, to actively making and maintaining a change. In the five stages of change, the
change itself doesn’t occur until the fourth stage, highlighting a great deal
of prior preparation and planning that is necessary in order for the change to
be successful and lasting.
The first of the five
stages is the Precontemplation Stage. In this stage, an individual is not actively seeking to make
a change at all, and is perfectly happy remaining static with the behavior they
are currently exhibiting. Here,
individuals usually deny the need to change, or may not be consciously aware at
all, of an overriding need to do things differently. Using a behavior such as
smoking as an example, a smoker might make statements such as “I enjoy smoking,
why would I quit?” Or deny
overriding research related to the deleterious health effects of smoking, or
make statements such as “I’m going to die anyway, so why not smoke?” There is evidence to suggest that we
tend to stick to our own ways of thinking or dig in further when presented with
refuting evidence to the contrary, what is called a confirmation
bias. In therapy in the
precontemplation stage, we spend a majority of our time just convincing people
of the need to change. This at
times is an arduous task, which is a task of education and presentation of
evidence. Arguably, of the five
stages of change, moving people (or organizations) off of stage 1 may be the
most important step in the stage process, due to the intractable nature of
people or organizations related to the confirmation bias. If someone is successful getting
someone to the next stage, a great leap in therapy (or organizational change)
has been made.
The second stage in the process is the Contemplation
Stage. This is a stage where
an individual tends to start to get ready for a change, but is not quite there
yet. They have heard the arguments,
and are beginning to think about behaving differently. They are still in a stage of stasis
however, caught between the dissonance of pros and cons of changing. Being stuck here prevents movement to
actually take productive action. A
good way of convincing people (and organizations here) is to continue to
highlight the pros of changing, offering several examples and models, as well
as highlighting the cons of not changing.
If successful, the individual will make a cognitive leap into the change
process, convinced of its benefit.
The Third stage is called the Preparation stage,
where individuals are actively
taking the necessary steps to change.
In the smoking world it could be developing a plan to reduce the amount
of cigarettes smoked, or developing a timeline to begin, or actively talking
with others about it. In this
stage, we can actively develop a partnership with people (or organizations) to
help them with their plans, and to develop a plan for the future.
The fourth stage is the actual behavior change
stage Action
. Individuals
have acted on their plans, and are moving ahead. We can help individuals in this stage by encouraging the
implementation and fighting the temptation to move backwards.
Finally, the fifth stage is Maintenance, where
individuals work on continuing the change into the future and are flexible with
developing plans around roadblocks that develop related to the change. In this stage, particularly in the
beginning, individuals may need the most support from others who are on board
with them.
These stages can
easily apply to organizational change the same way. Take an initiative such as Positive
Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) for example. If an organization were considering
moving to such a philosophy, in the beginning it would take the convincing of
key stakeholders to make the change.
This may entail talking to key leaders in the school district or a
school board about the need to make a change. If an organization moved to a contemplation stage, it would
begin to see the benefits, but not be ready for action. Here we can provide research studies to
key stakeholders, and visit model schools where they conduct it well. In a preparation stage, we can form
organizational committees, and talk with faculty at faculty meetings about the
positives of change. We can begin
to fill out a team and convince staff to collaborate and get on board with
planning. The next stage would be
the change itself, which would entail the intervention moving forward. Finally, with maintenance, we would
need good leadership to anticipate roadblocks, and to help team members feel
fresh and excited about the program, and the staff as well.
The Transtheoretical
model has mainly been used in an individual therapy model; however, the
processes of change in an organization are exactly parallel in nature. To effectively make a change, we need
to spend most of our time and energy in the stages prior to the actual action
stage itself, in planning and preparation. If appropriate time is spent here, getting investment in
change, much of the rest of the process tends to fall in line. Let’s hope that we spend the time and
energy planning and getting investment from key stakeholders in order for our
changes to having meaningful and lasting benefits.
Prochaska, JO; DiClemente, CC. The
transtheoretical approach: crossing traditional boundaries of therapy.
Homewood, IL: Dow Jones-Irwin; 1984. ISBN 0-87094-438-X.
