Change 4 Growth: OCM Tip of the week!
The 3 Best Models for Tracking Associate Change Journey
The Kubler – Ross Change Curve:
This model was introduced by and is named after Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in a book called ‘Death and Dying’ which came out in the year 1969.
The Kubler-Ross Change Curve which is also known as the 5 stages of grief is a model consisting of the various levels or stages of emotions which are experienced by a person who is soon going to approach death or is a survivor of an intimate death. The 5 stages included in this model are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.
Associates may move through these stages in random order and even repeat stages. Identifying and communicating the stages that impacted associate are traversing will allow effective mitigation of resistance and ensure a smooth journey to acceptance of the future state.
The Rogers Adoption Curve:
This model was developed by Joe M. Bohlen, George M. Beal and Everett M. Rogers at Iowa State University, in 1957.
The Rogers Adoption Curve (also called the Diffusion Process) describes how new innovations and ideas are accepted and adopted by groups and cultures. The curve highlights the acceptance of innovative ideas by society through five stages:
- Innovators
- Early Adopters
- Early Majority
- Late Majority
- Laggards
Understanding who and where your impacted associates are on the adoption curve will assist you in gaining a foothold for your change. Engaging this group as committed evangelists for the future state can have an invaluable impact on the remaining impacted employees.
The Commitment Curve:
Conner and Patterson (1982) developed The Commitment Curve as a model to explain how an individual’s commitment to major new organizational requirements increases over time.
The model suggests that the degree of support individuals display for new mindsets or behaviors passes through three broad developmental phases: Preparation, Acceptance, and Commitment. Leading change requires the knowledge that not every member of the organization commits at the same rate. Those sponsoring, managing the change must commit earlier than those impacted by the change.
Communicating these rates to leadership will support the application of the appropriate change management strategies. Strategies that will mitigate the impactful nature of change on the organization and allowing for achievement of advocacy of the future state.
