What does change look like over time?

Over 30 years ago, Dr. Virginia Satir brought us a model for change that simply yet elegantly summarized the way a change impacts the performance of an organization. 

As pictured here, the Satir change model shows how immediately after a change is introduced into an organization, the change is met with resistance.  The conflict that is a normal part of resistance throws the organization into chaos.  The group eventually integrates the change ultimately creating a new (and hopefully more productive) status quo.

As the chart below suggests, the way that the change is managed can impact the degree to which performance is impacted.  By using a prescriptive methodology, organizations can minimize the amount of performance loss and reduce the amount of time to reach the new, more efficient “new” status quo.