LEAD FPX 5220 Assessment 1 Immunity to Change Map

Student Name

Capella University

LEAD-FPX5220 Leader as Change Agent

Prof. Name

Date

Personal Immunity

When I think about immunity, the first thing that comes to mind is the human immune system that fights germs and keeps us alive. Similarly, there is a psychological immune system that protects us from things that are dangerous. This concept also applies to a division, an employee, or an organization in general. According to Kegan and Lahey, immunity to change is an underlying root cause that competes with and causes conflict in commitment to change (Kegan et al., 2001). This results in many individuals failing to achieve their goals in life.

To form an Immunity to Change Map, one must first acknowledge the goals that need improvement and identify the obstacles standing in the way. Initially, I must summarize my personal dedication to an improvement goal. Then, I need to outline the actions I am taking or not taking that may hinder progress toward achieving my goal. Finally, I will examine competing commitments and the assumptions behind these competing commitments.

Cashunda Buckner’s Goal

Cashunda Buckner likes to help people with their work, often putting her own assignments on the back burner. She frequently finds herself working late to complete her tasks once everyone else has left. She often takes work home, cooking dinner, tending to family needs, and staying up late to complete her assignments. Cashunda never asks coworkers for help because she believes no one can do her work as well as she can. She realizes that she works too hard to please others and genuinely wants her life to be more stable. Cashunda’s primary goal is to focus more on her needs and use her time wisely.

Things Cashunda Does or Doesn’t Do

This is the list of things that prevent her from achieving her self-improvement goal.

• Doing things that are not a priority to her needs.
• Making commitments to others without first attending to her own tasks.
• Overworking and not using time wisely.

Why Cashunda Does What She Does

When Cashunda is asked to help someone, she feels she will let them down if she tells them she is busy. She believes she can always finish her work later and that it is essential to be a team player. If she does not always help people with tasks they deem important at the moment, she fears they will think less of her. Cashunda’s competing commitments include being a team player, feeling appreciated, being dedicated, and being essential to the business.

Immunity to Change Map

Assumptions

According to Kegan and Lahey, when someone feels a sense of “oh, therefore I am stuck,” even if part of them can see the assumption as flawed or at least questionable (Kegan et al., 2001). Cashunda’s assumptions might include:

• If I say no, I will let the team down.
• I can always do my work later.
• If I work hard enough, I will get noticed and appreciated.

Test the Assumptions

The big assumption might be to finish her duties before helping others. She could tell her coworkers she will assist them as soon as she finishes her own work. She should delegate her time at work and only take home assignments if absolutely necessary. She can then observe what happens. Did her colleagues view her differently? Did the world end because she said no? Did her colleagues really lose respect for her? It is possible that nothing will happen even if she prioritizes her time and workload over others. It is also likely that, over the course of related experiments, as a result of focusing on her needs and using her time wisely, Cashunda will discover that things are much better. She is more successful, not less, and thus better respected. Furthermore, as a result of these experiments, it is probable that both her views and actions will continue to shift in healthier, more satisfying directions.

Many people think that to improve performance, they must correct a weakness to become strong. They do not want to be considered weak because that leads to failure. “ITC teaches you that while the path to change is difficult, the rewards are undeniable – for the individual, the team, and the company” (Dossier, 2009, p. 9).

The Plan

To achieve immunity to change, there is a need for an overall look at personal immunity in the workplace. According to the perceptions of the learning administrative division, we used a three-column personal immunity map to achieve administrative learning. Cashunda’s main goal was to focus on her needs and use her time at work wisely. So, let us put a plan in place and see how it works for a month.

The plan is to allocate her work and time in the office. The first thing that needs to be in place is a calendar. The calendar should outline the deadlines of each assignment for each week. Cashunda should never feel overwhelmed or feel the need to work extra hours if she follows the calendar. This plan should allow her to meet her goals at work and home. Bringing work home can cause friction in the household as well as loss of sleep. Many times, people think they are failing or letting an employee or colleague down when they do not help others. However, in any business, we are paid to do our work and not anyone else’s. If a person feels they can use you to get their assignment done, they will try. Maintain your stance on things and you can succeed.

References

BCODN (2012). An evening with Robert Kegan and immunity to change [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFYnVmGu9ZI

Cawsey, T. F., Deszca, G., & Ingols, C. (2016). Organizational change: An action-oriented toolkit (3rd ed.). [VitalSource]. Retrieved from www.vitalsourcebookshelf.com

Dossier (2009). Immunity to change. Business Digest, 197, 1-9. Retrieved from http://slab500.com/mindsatwork/images/resources/resources-BusinessDigest2009.pdf

Kegan, R., & Lahey, L. (2001). The real reason people won’t change. Harvard Business Review, 79(10), 84-92.

LEAD FPX 5220 Assessment 1 Immunity to Change Map

Warrilow, S. (n.d.). Immunity to change. Retrieved from http://www.strategies-for-managing-change.com/immunity-to-change.html