Context:
A group of people has been attempting to accomplish some task as effectively and efficiently as possible. To do this, they naturally have developed various individual habits, social conventions, and have adopted certain technologies. Now, change in one or more of these aspects of their work is needed. This can be due to a change in the nature of the problem, the nature of the context in which they are working, learning, or the invention of new technological support. A plan is being developed to manage change.
Problem:
How can people re-organize their work to reflect the new situation while at the same time retaining progress that has been made, keeping what still works and avoiding the case where people resist change? One way of minimizing the need for change being too sudden or radical is to allow change to be more evolutionary and part of the ongoing process of a workgroup, community, or organization. How can such learning be incorporated into work processes in such a way that it minimizes any negative impact on productivity?
Forces:
· People have a drive to learn and practice new skills.
· People have a drive to acquire new experiences.
· People have a drive to defend against change that is too sudden, radical, or where the consequences are perceived to be too negative or too uncertain.
· The costs of change tend to be more front-loaded than the benefits.
· People are most productive when they are in a state of “flow.”
· In order to learn effectively, people need to be in a reflective state about their own behaviors.
Solution:
Intelligent change should be supported by instrumenting on-going productive processes so that all relevant data is collected with no or minimum impact on productivity. When flow breaks down or an integral piece of work is finished, use the data collected during productive work to guide a feedback, reflective learning and practice cycle.
Examples: It is not helpful to attempt to analyze your strengths and weaknesses and make corrections during a golf match, a speech, or a tightly scheduled software development. It is helpful to set aside specific times, places, and processes for getting feedback and practicing changes.