“There isn’t anything so practical as” a good model to help leaders, change agents and advocates explain what is happening in change and transition, paraphrasing Kurt Lewin.  An informed change leader can head off the deadly effects of compliance and indifference and increase true, community commitment with a good set of tools, facilitation skills and change research, informed by timely data.

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Here are two data-friendly, practical change models that have been favorites with managers and graduate students in discussing change.  A video of the models in action is included below.

The DVF > R Model for working with resistance:

DVF Model for Change  (CLICK to download as a pdf)

This clear, intuitive model could guide something as simple as a starter conversation with staff, clients as well as all stakeholders about where your organization is now.  It could also guide a discussion of your products and services or where you might be “stuck” or needing a fresh perspective in your planning. 

With “D” for “Dissatisfaction” in mind, there’s much more to the story of resistance than a model, of course.  “Resistance is a resource,” quoting the late Kathie Dannemiller, a mentor/guide to me and many others with organization development (OD) experience.

For more on understanding the progress of working through resistance, especially compliance and apathy, real change killers, take a look at Ron Koller’s change study.  

Collecting data at crucial points throughout any change implementation is important.  The what, where, when, how and why the data is collected is ALSO important, and is an intervention in and of itself.  A good model including approaches like Whole-Scale Change helps, as referenced on the DVF handout.

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“There isn’t anything so practical as” a good model to help …explain what is happening in change and transition…

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Another simple and clear model is Dr. Mary Lippitt’s Change Resources model:

Mary Lippitt Complex Change Model  (CLICK to download as a pdf)

Dr. M. Lippitt’s model has been listed in many publications, including published change books and toolkits without attribution.  I’m delighted to list her attributed model in this post.  

For more about using models like this in context, you can contact me here to find out more.

Below are two change videos.  The second video features the two models in use.

1) The first video features my interview with well-known and practical change author, Daryl Conner who covers key aspects of understanding and leading through change.  He is the creator of the Conner Change Curve:

2) The second video features a group of social work administrators putting these change models to practical use in a very short amount of time. There more on our Change Results YouTube  channel.  

Skip to to .42 seconds to see the graduate class examples of applying the models listed in this post.

Model work & discussion like this can kickstart change planning.  Perhaps doing the same will help you anticipate change elements in your next change initiative or adaptation / realization.  

The professions, in this case Information Technology (IT), offer another view of change.  Technology is often an accelerator in change: 

The author of this excerpted post offers that IT is a lynchpin for crucial business change. Consider the role of IT in facilitating growth in emerging markets such as social media and analysis of “Big Data.”  We have agile business models developing from IT who first coined agile as a business structure for projects.  

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Inspiring change requires more …creating opportunities for groups to voice their concerns, bringing obstacles to light…coaching and providing feedback as well as opportunities for practice and learning.

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IT also  helps us with our need to work collaboratively with globally dispersed teams.  For many of us Skype, WebEx, GoToMeeting and Google+ hangouts are familiar terms.  

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Excerpted:  Four Secrets to Success – Commitment, Community, Clarity & Communication

1. Commitment

 …the single most important reason why CIOs cannot sustain change.

• being bound emotionally and intellectually to a course of action 
• [NOT] mere “compliance” — people going along with a mandatory recommendation or new process without really believing in it
• • people have to make that jump themselves, even while their natural instincts scream at them to resist. 
  • invite discussion and dissent, air these misgivings and steer the negative emotions into positive ones.   

2. Community  

…requires different people collaborating in diverse roles to purposefully drive change forward, leaving nothing to chance.   Key roles include: a change leader, change agents & advocates.

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3. Clarity 

People won’t commit to “a good idea” — they need to understand why the change is necessary and why the current state is no longer viable. People who have a “why” will accomplish almost any “how.”   (See the DVF change model above for more about this.)

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4. Communication

 …the glue that holds the entire change initiative together.

Inspiring change requires more …creating opportunities for groups to voice their concerns, bringing obstacles to light…and training [learning], coaching and providing feedback, as well as opportunities for practice and learning.

Sources listed via Deb’s change tools collections:  Change Management Resources here.

As always, your comments on this post enrich the learning.

Contact me here to chat about your needs and questions including strategy, planning and change resources to help you ramp up for successful change and transition.

More change and performance tools are available on Deb’s TOOLS page here.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons license.