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Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash<\/span><\/p>\n Change models, similar to technological change have grown more complex and multifaceted through the years (Biech, E., 2007). As Biech explains, in 1947 Kurt Lewin introduced a three step change management model, unfreezing, changing and refreezing. Lewin\u2019s change theory remained the dominant theory for some thirty year and was not only relatively simple as well as sophisticated; it was also the basis for the evolving change theories that followed. Change theories have grown more in steps from Biech\u2019s Six-Step Model to Ulrich\u2019s Seven- Step Model to Kotter\u2019s Eight- Step Model all the way to Evans and Schaefer\u2019s 10 Tasks (Biech, E.,\u00a02007, Al-Haddad, S.,\u00a0& Kotnour, T.,\u00a02015\u00a0). With all of the complexity, it is important to note that each change model follows a similar path requiring similar actions. It makes sense, however, that something like Change Theory would change over time. As information, systems and technologies change more and more rapidly, so too must the theories that guide change management so as to enable organizations to prepare for coming changes, adapt more quickly, and allow change to be successful.<\/p>\n In order to choose the change management model that is best for an organization it is helpful to understand the various change theories that are the drivers of change models. From Systems Theory to Chaos Theory, there are a number of change theories to fit any context and provide a foundation for organizational change. In the context of the Not for Profit world, the change theory\u2019s that seems to work best in creating a fertile ground for change management are Systems Theory and Theory O (Biech, E., 2007, Al-Haddad, S.,\u00a0& Kotnour, T., 2015\u00a0). While Systems Theory lays the ground work for managing change by assuming that all parts of an organization are connected and affected by the changes that occur in each department, Theory O lays the groundwork for creating an influential workplace culture that focuses on increasing organizational capacity. As a Not for Profit agency, we are keenly aware that we cannot create lasting change in people\u2019s lives by working\u00a0in a silo and therefore must be open to interdependency with partner organizations working together to help progress, not only our mission but also, the greater good in our community. Systems Theory helps to align our goals in the direction of different parts, like internal department and external partner agencies, to work together understanding that change in one part will ultimately affect all of the other parts.\u00a0\u00a0 Theory O assists in driving the direction of this systemic change toward capacity building endeavors.<\/p>\n Those who understand change management, theories and practices, can be in a powerful position to lead change in an organization (Weiner, B., 2009). Leaders set the tone in an organization which means that leaders who have positive attitudes toward change will be better positioned to manage the inevitable challenges and conflict that comes with change (Biech, E., 2007). A positive attitude toward change, like someone who sees change as something new and exciting, will be better poised to counterbalance resistant or fearful attitudes toward change. Resistance to changing how we develop capacity is ever present in our organization as we have traditionally relied on stand and deliver, workshops and seminars to acquire new knowledge and build capacity. In our organization, for example, there is much skepticism and reluctance to move toward learning in digital environment because that represent a vast departure in the way learning has always been facilitated. As Weller & Anderson (2013) point out, people can be heavily invested in keeping things the way they were when it comes to technological change, but when we take into account the \u201cresilience factor\u201d of our organization, meaning how much change can the system tolerate without compromising its connections, a well formulated strategic plan that purposely sets out to implement changes incrementally over a long period of time is our best way forward.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n References<\/p>\n Al-Haddad, S., & Kotnour, T. (2015). Integrating the organizational change literature: a model for successful change. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 28(2), 234-262.<\/p>\n Biech, E. (2007). Models for Change. In Thriving Through Change: A Leader\u2019s Practical Guide to Change Mastery. Alexandria, VA: ASTD<\/p>\n Weiner, B. J. (2009). A theory of organizational readiness for change. Implementation Science, 4(67).<\/p>\n Weller, M., & Anderson, T. (2013). Digital Resilience in Higher Education. European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash Change models, similar to technological change have grown more complex and multifaceted through the years (Biech, E., 2007). As Biech explains, in 1947 Kurt Lewin introduced a three step change management model, unfreezing, changing… Continue Reading →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0059\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0059\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0059\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0059\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/101"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0059\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=242"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0059\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":249,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0059\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242\/revisions\/249"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0059\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0059\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0059\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}