Receptivity to change

Social movements arise in settings that are receptive to change for a shared concern or desired change. In this section, you will learn about the multiple factors that influence receptivity to change, including domains of energy. You will also learn how to gauge the five energy domains in your setting, and what factors can enhance them.

This precondition happens when Individuals in an organization or other setting recognize an emerging shared concern or desired change, and interest and/or pressure for change is rising. There is a growing willingness to address the shared concern or desired change by using social movement actions.

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• Receptivity to change is an essential precondition to organizing and taking individual and collective action. When present, there is an increased likelihood of success fueled by individuals’ support and engagement for the proposed change. The degree of receptivity for change indicates whether the change can move ahead and action begins (Sustainable Improvement Team and the Horizons Team, 2018).
• In settings where there is receptivity to change, change teams and change agents are starting to emerge as informal leaders moving a vision forward. In environments that lack receptivity, these people can be seen as "making trouble", promoting personal grievances or having unrealistic dreams; any attempts at leading change are quickly thwarted (Sustainable Improvement Team and the Horizons Team, 2018).

There are several concurrent factors that impact receptivity to change:

The energy for change reflects the ability and drive of individuals (for example, a group, team, or organization) to take action together and achieve collective goals. When the energy for change is present, it can fuel motivation and drive change initiatives forward.

Energy can be categorized into five domains: physical, psychological, social, spiritual and intellectual See the table just below for fuller descriptions of these domains.

Energy domains:

SOURCES: Land et al., 2013; Sustainable Improvement Team and the Horizons Team, 2018.

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SOURCE: NHS Horizons, NHS England, 2013. Used with permission. 

The five energy domains are interrelated. They can support or oppose one another. There are no requirements for the amount of each domain needed to affect change; ebb and flow are normal.

For example, at the beginning of a change initiative, there may be high degrees of psychological and intellectual energies, but a low degree of physical energy amongst change teams, organizations, or systems. Individuals may have the courage to make a change and begin to think about and plan for the change initiative; however, there may be little progress at this stage of change. 

In settings using social movement actions, the necessary domains of energy include:

• Psychological energy must be strong so that people feel safer to take risks and try new and innovative approaches that may or may not succeed. Psychological energy can be strengthened by increasing the spiritual and social domains of energy.
• Physical energy is needed to help people feel confident in their ability to progress and achieve change, based on previous experiences.
• Social energy must be high to fuel the collaboration needed to mobilize or come together for change.

In contrast, settings using traditional, structured top-down approaches to change tend to have the following levels of energy domains:

• Intellectual energy is high, reflecting change efforts that use logical and rational planning. This keeps leaders in their "comfort zone".   
• Physical energy is characterized in terms of the progress made and whether goals were reached. 
• Social, spiritual and psychological energy domains are lower; at most, a sense of shared purpose is minimally expressed.

SOURCES: Land et al., 2013; Sustainable Improvement Team and the Horizons Team, 2018.

Examining the intensity and quality of the five energy domains may help gauge the appetite for social movement action. Each energy domain can be assessed for: 

• its intensity (low to high); 
• its quality, whether negative (for example, where there is doubt, anger, skepticism, fear or blaming present] or positive (for example, where there is hope, courage and faith present).

There are four possible outcomes: comfort, activism, aggression and resignation, as shown in the graphic below. 

The intensity and quality of the energy domains

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SOURCE: Land et al., 2013.  

We outline strategies for boosting the five energy domains in the table below. 

SOURCE: Land et al., 2013.

Here is an example of a campaign used to raise social energy to boost teams in a change initiative:

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Shared with permission from Renfrew Victoria Hospital

It can also be helpful to understand how the five energy domains when in balance, can support change teams and change agents to be effective in leading change initiatives, as depicted in the graphic below (NHS Horizons, NHS England, 2011).

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To start assessing your setting’s receptivity to change including all of the multiple concurrent factors, you and your change team can consider the following strategies:

• Determine the areas of strength and the areas where further attention is needed. This will help create the strongest starting point for a change initiative.
• Examine previous change efforts and lessons learned to inform areas of strength and limitations.
• Share your insights with others to begin a dialogue about the proposed change. Listen carefully to other’s feedback, concerns and perception of the change. This insight can be very powerful as others can get involved in the early phases of the change initiative.
• Strive to have the necessary resources available – both tangible and intangible.
• Share endorsements for the change with others in public domains, such as group email, intranet or social media platforms. This can increase awareness and credibility.  
• Make time to get feedback from those beyond the change team. By listening to their ideas and concerns, and being open to making revisions to your plan based on what they say, you can delay or thwart resistance and threats to momentum in achieving your goals.
• Engage the energy of early adopters who are willing to get involved and trust that with time and momentum, others will also become engaged.

SOURCES: Land et al., 2013; Sustainable Improvement Team and the Horizons Team, 2018. 

Elements of the Social Movement Action (SMA) Framework are dynamic and interrelated. For example, a receptivity for change can be linked to the other two preconditions: "Change is valued and necessary" and "Examples of social movements are recognized". When change is valued and necessary, individuals are motivated to start getting involved in the change; this can support "Activism" energy of high intensity and positive quality. When examples of social movements are recognized, it can inspire and motivate others to take a people-led approach to change. This too can increase receptivity for using social movement actions.    

Linking to the action cycle phases of the Knowledge-to-Action Framework

You and your change team’s capacity in social movement actions may be enhanced or accelerated by adding in some of the action cycle phases of the Knowledge-to-Action (KTA) Framework, as the two frameworks are complementary. In addition to the two linking examples described earlier in this section, there can be many other points of connection between the two frameworks. Here are three examples for you to consider:   

• Identify the problem: Once receptivity to change for a shared concern or desired change is recognized, you and your change team can use the KTA Framework's "Identify the problem" phase to clearly determine the issue or issues you would like to address. In this phase, you can perform a gap analysis to identify problems or practices that can be feasibly addressed in your setting.
• Adapt knowledge to local context: An understanding of the context will help you decide whether there is an opportunity for change. To ensure that the identified problem can be addressed effectively, you and your change team should consider contextual factors such as 1. whether the nature of the leadership culture is formal or informal; 2. which resources are available to effect the change; and 3. who will effect the change or be affected by it? 
• Assess facilitators and barriers: Identify and assess the facilitators and barriers that will help or hinder the change. This will help you and your change team decide whether there is receptivity to change for a shared concern or desired change. 
• For more discussion about the dynamic links between the elements of the SMA Framework to one another and to the KTA Framework, see the section "Two complementary frameworks".