The Science Behind Change and Teams

The science of behavior is mighty!

We have selected some of our favorite thinkers and organizations to help you investigate further.

Four aspects of change have been appearing frequently in our clients’ organizations:

  • Change used to be considered a discrete event, and methodologies developed around managing it as such. These have had to expand as change has become constant, turbulent and disruptive.
  • Tactics for resisting change have also expanded; it helps to remember that resistance is a rich source of data and feedback for change leaders, not necessarily evidence of pathology in those who are trying to change. Responding constructively to resistance is a key enabler for leadership success.
  • Getting clear on the difference between change and transformation will help determine the most effective communication and leadership approaches for each.
  • Organizational traumas, such as layoffs, leave wounds that need to be cauterized if the company hopes to regain its focus on productivity.

Representative influences:

  • Linda Ackerman-Anderson and Dean Anderson website: https://beingfirst.com/
  • Gervase R. Bushe and Robert J. Marshak, Editors, 2015, Dialogic Organization Development: The Theory and Practice of Transformational Change, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., Oakland, CA
  • The Bushe-Marshak Institute: https://b-m-institute.com/
  • John Kotter, 2012, Leading Change Harvard Business Review Press, Boston, MA
  • John Kotter, Accelerate! Harvard Business Review, November 2012
  • Peter Block, 2011, Flawless Consulting Pfeiffer, San Francisco, CA (especially Chapter 8: “Understanding Resistance”)
  • David M. Noer, 2009, Healing the Wounds John Wiley & Sons, San Francisco, CA