Change - Part 4

This is a series of posts on change.  Many of us have things that we want to change - our weight, our church, our culture, our family, our job environment, our denomination, etc.  These posts will stem from a review of Building the Bridge as You Walk on It by Robert Quinn.

The central purpose of anyone within a human system is to gain status and resources while avoiding pain and rejection.  When reality suggests that we need to move into the unknown, we resist.  We become self-deceptive.  We say change is needed, but we want to avoid the risk of losing what we have, so we try to "manage" change in ways we do not find threatening.

We typically employ three strategies of managing change.

1.  Telling - making logical arguments for change.  This strategy assumes that people are guided by reason.  Any resistance to change can only be the product of ignorance.  To counter their resistance, we feel we must simply educate them to the truth and their resistance will dissolve.  But it's never that simply, as most of us know.  When people continue to resist, we often turn to the second strategy.

2.  Forcing - using forms of leveraging to threaten or ostracize.  Usually some form of political or financial power is exerted.  The Forcing strategy usually evokes anger, resistance, and damage to the relationships. 

3.  Participating - using open dialogue and pursuing win-win strategies.  The change agent welcomes the input of others, who are seen as equals in the change process.  Many advocate this strategy, few actually use it as intended.  Instead, the change agent determines a solution and then asks a group to join in a discussion.  Any answer that they come up with is acceptable - as long as it is the "right" one.  Because this is so often perceived as manipulation, people become deeply cynical and it undermines the process. 

Next time we will explore the fourth strategy that is rarely used yet is necessary for deep change.