The approach I will take to manage the change from a primarily Behaviorist to a Social Constructivist approach to learning in my organization is influenced by:
- Everett Rogers’ “Diffusion of Innovations”
- Social Constructivist learning theory
- Literature reviewed and research performed as part of my Action Research Project which included the motivation and barriers (or resistance) to knowledge sharing within an organization
- The Wisdom of Crowds, by: James Surowiecki
- The Biggest Mistakes in Managing Change, by: Carol Kinsey Goman, Ph.D.
- Leadership Ensemble, by: Harvey Seifter and Peter Economy
Principles for Managing the Change Process:
- Identify, align with, and gain the support of opinion leaders and champions within the organization. There are those in any organization that others naturally follow. Many of these are not based on formal position, but are based on other factors such as respect, knowledge, or natural leadership abilities. By connecting with these individuals and gaining their support you can better ensure success of any change initiative.
- Demonstrate the value of the change and help others find the value for themselves. It is critical to help others see and understand the intended value of any change initiative, no matter how big or small. Even more essential is helping them find the value to themselves that is possible by embracing the change. It is one thing to show the value to the organization, but the “WIIFM” or “What’s In It For Me” equation always needs to be completed for an individual to fully engage in a change initiative.
- Invite others to participate in the change process. As Smith identified in “The Book of Learning and Forgetting” and Lave and Wenger have also shared in “Situated Learning,” people learn socially with others in a given context, through experience. If you want others to be excited about a change process and be a part of the change you must invite them to be a part of it and provide them with ways to participate in the process. This promote ownership and a sense of belonging to the change, rather than feeling that the change is being “done to” them.
- Make sure the voices of all stakeholders are heard and acknowledged. Similar to the invitation process the individuals in the organization that are impacted or involved in the change must feel that they have a way to have their voice heard and that when they do share that they are heard, acknowledged, and responded to. Without this feeling of involvement the sense of being just “along for the ride” will prevail and true change will be difficult, if not impossible.
- Build trust through honesty and open communication. Trust is essential in any change activity and the best way to foster and build trust is through honest, open communication regarding the intended change. It is particularly critical to openly share any potential negative effects or employment impacts of the change up front so that there are no down-stream surprises that cause resentment and resistance to the change.
- Remember that people are the ones that change, not the organization. It is easy to lose sight of the fact that change is about people, on an individual basis, and not the organization. Particularly with a change focused on the importance of social constructed learning it is important that individuals see how they can contribute and support the change, and how that ties to the bigger team’s success.
- Provide learning and leadership opportunities to support the change process. Moving from a Behaviorist approach to learning to a Social Constructivist approach will include new processes, tools, and technologies. Positive learning experiences and practical application opportunities need to be provided so that all involved in the change feel empowered to be successful with the new approach.
- Encourage dialogue and constructive debate. Dialogue is important to any change process, as is welcoming dissension in the form of constructive debate. Provide a platform for critical ideas to be surfaced and foster an environment where debate is balanced with dialogue to build toward new knowledge constructs that include ideas from multiple perspectives – strengthening the overall concept in the process.
- Build consensus. Consensus often gets a bad rap, but as the Orpheus Ensemble in the book “Leadership Ensemble” has noted, and the concepts in the book “Wisdom of Crowds” support, it can also lead to a stronger result than the ideas of an individual. In this way work toward solutions that include the best of all ideas and find ways to “pilot” or quickly test ideas and keep those that the group finds to be most effective.
- Focus on the change as a process, not an event. Plan for the long haul and continue to provide support and ongoing communication of the change process throughout. It is not a one-time event that will be communicated and then just happen. In particular the mindset shift needed to move from focusing on matter-of-fact behavior-based learning content to a dynamic, socially-constructed knowledge building process will take time, perseverance, and ongoing attention to the previous nine principles outlined above. Stay the course and when challenges arise, return to the principles to find the place where the focus is needed in the short term to support the long-term objective.