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Process change to improve the performance of our organizations be it in government or elsewhere is a serious and important concern that must not be left to the unprepared and the clueless. The increasing permanence of organizational change argues for professionalization. Toward that goal, this article provides a set of principles and a model for change.
The impact on group performance of a well-assimilated change during the five stages of the Satir Change Model.
Introduction
Improvement is always possible. This conviction is at the heart of the transformation system developed by family therapist Virginia Satir. Her system helps people improve their lives by transforming the way they see and express themselves.
An element of the Satir System is a five-stage change model that describes the effects each stage has on feelings, thinking, performance, and physiology. Using the principles embodied in this model, you can improve how you process change.
Stage 1: Late Status Quo
The group is at a familiar place. The performance pattern is consistent. Stable relationships give members a sense of belonging and identity. Members know what to expect, how to react, and how to behave. Implicit and explicit rules underlie behavior. Members attach survival value to the rules, even if they are harmful. For instance, the chief of an engineering team has an explicit rule: The product must be done on schedule. When influenza halts the work of several engineers, the chief requires the team to compensate by working ten hours a day, seven days a week. After experiencing too many crises at both work and home, the engineers begin to bicker and the project falls apart.
Poor communication is symptom of a dysfunctional group. Members use blaming, placating, and other incongruent communication styles to cope with feelings like anger and guilt. Stress may...