Book: Immunity to Change – How to Overcome It and Unlock the Potential in Yourself and Your Organization
In their groundbreaking book ”Immunity to Change: How to Overcome It and Unlock the Potential in Yourself and Your Organization” published by Harvard Business Review Press in 2009, authors Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey delve into the psychological mechanisms that inhibit personal and organizational change.
Change is out of reach – or is it?
The beginning of this book tells a short story: a study has shown that when doctors tell heart patients they will die if they don’t change their habits, only one in seven will be able to follow through successfully. Hence, even when stakes are as high as life or death the capacity for change seems frustratingly out of reach. The question asked is: ”Given that the status quo is so potent, how can we change ourselves and our organizations?”
The authors
Robert Kegan is a renowned developmental psychologist and professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Known for his pioneering work in adult development, Kegan’s research focuses on how individuals and organizations evolve and adapt. Kegan’s work integrates psychology, education, and organizational behavior, providing valuable insights into human growth and transformation. His contributions have significantly shaped the contemporary understanding of adult learning and leadership development.
Lisa Lahey is an accomplished educator, researcher, and co-director of Minds at Work, a consulting firm specializing in personal and organizational development. As an Associate Professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Lahey collaborates with Robert Kegan on groundbreaking research into adult development and change management. Her work is widely recognized for its practical application and profound impact on leadership development.
A practical framework
This book introduces a practical, hands-on diagnostics framework and presents compelling examples and case studies. It is an essential read for anyone interested in personal growth, leadership development, or organizational transformation. Its insights and tools provide a roadmap for breaking free from the constraints of hidden commitments and big assumptions, allowing for a more authentic and effective pursuit of goals.
The authors show how our individual beliefs combine to create a natural but powerful immunity to change. By revealing how this mechanism holds us back, Kegan and Lahey give us the keys to unlock our potential and finally move forward. By pinpointing and uprooting our own immunities to change, we can also bring our organizations forward with us.
What makes this book really interesting is, however, the Immunity to Change Map and its process.
I personally found the framework so interesting that I have continued learning from the authors since I first read the book. I was, for instance, personally trained by Robert Kegan in a three-day Immunity to Change™ Facilitator’s Workshop training offered by Minds At Work, and I can now help you apply it to your own challenges, as well as in your management team and organization.
The Concept of Immunity to Change
Kegan and Lahey introduce the concept of ”immunity to change” as a powerful metaphor for the subconscious resistance people have to making significant changes, even when those changes are clearly beneficial.
This immunity functions much like a body’s immune system, which protects against perceived threats but, in this case, it guards against the disruption of deeply held beliefs and assumptions.
The Psychological Roots of Resistance
Central to the authors’ argument is the idea that resistance to change is not simply a matter of willpower or motivation but is rooted in a complex psychological framework.
They identify what they call ”competing commitments” and ”big assumptions” that underlie this resistance. Competing commitments are hidden, often contradictory goals that clash with our conscious desires. Big assumptions are the ingrained beliefs that support these competing commitments.
For example, a manager might consciously want to delegate more responsibilities to their team but subconsciously fear losing control, leading to a competing commitment to maintain strict oversight. This fear is underpinned by a big assumption that ”if I don’t control everything, the project will fail.”
Implications for Leadership and Organizations
Kegan and Lahey emphasize that overcoming immunity to change is not just an individual endeavor but a crucial aspect of effective leadership and organizational development. Leaders who understand and address their own and their organization’s immunity to change can create environments that are more adaptive, innovative, and resilient.
The book argues that traditional change management strategies often fail because they do not address these deeper psychological dimensions. Instead, a more holistic approach that considers the mental models and assumptions of individuals within the organization is necessary for sustainable change.
The Immunity to Change Map
Applying the Immunity to Change Map on an individual (or team, or organization) will, through a simple step-by-step approach, help reveal the root cause of their negative behavior.
The four steps are:
- What is your commitment (improvement goal)?
- What are you coing/not doing instead?
- What are your hidden competing commitments?
- What are your underlying big assumptions?
The map is filled out one step at a time, on your own, or guided by an executive coach.
- Identify the improvement goal (your commitment): Start by specifying a meaningful and challenging goal you want to achieve. Ensure it is clear and actionable.
- List your counterproductive behaviors (doing/not doing): Reflect on and write down the behaviors that directly contradict your improvement goal. Be honest and specific.
- Explore hidden competing commitments: Explore and articulate the hidden commitments that lead to your counterproductive behaviors. These are often protective measures to avoid perceived threats or discomfort.
- Identify the big assumptions underlying the dynamic: Identify the assumptions that sustain your competing commitments. Question their validity and consider scenarios where these assumptions might not hold true.
In its essence, the Immunity to Change Map can help you reveal and understand your competing commitments, and underlying big assumptions that are in the way of you reaching your goals – and make you seemingly immune to change.
The underlying big assumptions are, in fact, what keeps you from your intended commitment. Some of your big assumptions may be right, but they may also be completely wrong and just a figment of your imagination based on beliefs held since childhood. In fact, you can only know if you test them and collect relevant data.
The example below shows a leader who has committed to focusing better on a few critical elements but continues to fail due to distractions and hidden commitments. Something that all falls back to an underlying big assumption that suddenly reveals itself. A process that can actually feel like having an epiphany.
More about the authors of this book can be found on the Minds at Work website.
You can also learn more about how the Immunity to Change map can help close the gap between our good intentions and behaviours in this video with Lisa Lahey, in which she uses it as a tool for humanity.
I encourage you to learn more about Immunity to Change and even try the map out yourself. Please note that the framework is developed for use on individuals, teams and organizations. Let me know if you need help along the way.
About the author
Elisabet Lagerstedt
Elisabet Lagerstedt is the founder and director of Future Navigators. As a trusted advisor, consultant, and Executive Coach, she helps business leaders navigate beyond business as usual to build Better Business and co-create a better future - through insight, strategy, innovation, and transformation. Elisabet is also the author of Better Business, Better Future (2022) and Navigera in i Framtiden (2018).