Archive for the ‘Satir Change Model’ Tag
Change is inevitable, but progress is not. Knowing that change does not always proceed smoothly, managers need to find ways to overcome the resistance that develops in advance of almost every significant change in the organization.
As a pre-requisite, change agents must understand that resistance to change can be healthy. The resistance can force the manager spearheading the change to reassess and refine its position and plans and ensure they think out all the ramifications. Once understood, the change agent must then find ways to implement changes that maximize performance and minimize negative disruption over the course of finding a new status quo.
1. Satir Change Model
A good place to begin this process is by finding a model that has proven successful for managing significant change in other organizations. One good example is the Satir Change Model, named after Virginia Satir, an American pioneer of Family Therapy.
2. Characteristics of the Satir Change Model
According to the Satir Change Model, significant change is characterized by five stages that link “Performance” with “Stages of acceptance”. The first stage is known as the “Old Status Quo” where the organization has developed a process for enjoying success in its market. When an external or internal “Foreign element” is introduced to this steady state, many people in large organizations resist change, often for good reasons including the fear of decreased performance, discomfort with the unknown. During this period, chaos can ensue as people fight to retain the familiar way of doing things. This chaotic state will continue until a “Transforming idea” is introduced and starts to be embraced by the organization. From here, various experiments will be tried out to integrate the new idea into the organization’s practices until it ultimately gains success, acceptance and becomes a “New Status Quo”.
3. What can managers do to minimize the negative disruption and maximize the performance of the New Status Quo?
The best way forward appears to use the Satir Change Model as a backdrop and to develop a plan that tailored to the particular organization and key players within this organization. To do so a change agent must break down the overall process into smaller, manageable tasks rather than try to implement change in one go. These small steps include the development or outlining of:
- A Detailed Plan for Organizational Change – the change agent needs to develop a plan including the Objectives, Goals, Strategies and Measures (OGSM) he/she would like to achieve.
- A list of “WIIFM” Benefits – the change agent must highlight the benefits of change and use these to persuade the organization of the advantages of change. People will always want to know “What’s in it for me” and why they should risk changing certainty for uncertainty.
- The Satir Change Model to plot how the organization will likely behave when the “Foreign element” or need for change is introduced.
- The major sources of the resistance, the reasons for this opposition, and a plan to deal with this. This will involve separating the resistance to change into a.) Active Resistance (organizing others, refusing to partake in the change or even sabotaging the plan) and b.) Passive Resistance (such as worry, griping about the company and management and generally finding reasons not to change).
- Active resistance must be dealt with immediately by first listening and then debating concerns and criticisms. At the same time, the change agent must set the boundaries of what is acceptable and what is not, outlining the outcome that will be expected with continued active resistance. If Active Resistance continues, then the organization must hold the individuals accountable for their actions.
- Passive resistance is more of distraction and it can be won over through on-going listening and actively doing things to reduce their concerns.
- The “Foreign elements” and “Transformational ideas” and support points for the need for change.
- An open and honest discussion to share the Plan and Change Model with the Management Team to gain input and to refining the final plan.
- An enumeration of the major reasons for resisting change, communicate the final plan with the Management Team to gain their support. At this stage it is important to identify the protagonists and antagonists to move forward.
- A “Town hall” meeting to announce the plan, and communicate the Foreign element, Transformational idea, Process for minimizing Resistance and Chaos in daily, weekly and monthly steps, possibly including training program for change, Providing a channel for Communications and discussing the Expected outcome. It’s important to disrupt only what needs to be changed and not fix what isn’t broken.
- Regular updates on progress in terms of Integration and Practice.
- Applying new learning and/or Failing quickly if necessary. That said, the change agent needs to close all avenues to return to the “Old Status Quo”.
US Army General and Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki once said “If you don’t like change you’ll like irrelevance even less”. An organization that is not changing is probably an organization that is dying. So we need to all embrace change.
At the same time, we need to understand that change requires letting go of certainty to gain uncertainty. This involves risk, effort and learning new skills, which are often difficult for people to do. This is why the Satir Change Model and Change Management Process are important for all marketers to help ensure that their organizations keep performing in the face on continuous change.
