Still Moving Field Guide. Deborah Rowland

Ordering Forces** How you attend to the overall systemic health of your organization Belonging Time Exchange Place Limiting Forces*

^* Detracting elements.

^** No research data yet for the Ordering Forces, but we have drawn from much literature and practice in the systemic field for this Factor.

Why Does Change Vitality Matter?

      So, you have four different Factors—comprising 19 Elements—to attend to if you wish to lead change well. We did say that more effortless change is not without effort! The good news, though, is that once you have mastered them, change will flow so much more easily around you.

We know this because we have built Change Vitality on the foundation of rigorous in‐the‐field research—most recently, covering 88 real case studies of large complex change from 65 senior leaders, who were drawn from multiple industries across five continents. This is the latest round in a long line of research going back almost two decades. Each study has sought to find out: what differentiates the leaders who can lead high‐magnitude change well?

      Change Vitality matters as we get consistent findings from all these studies that your personal leadership, and your choice of overall change approach, is fateful. Too often we “do change” on autopilot, or default mode, not even aware that our own behavior as leaders and the process through which we implement change fundamentally determine whether or not the change will succeed.

      So, Change Vitality matters because:

       Organizations and leaders who have higher degrees of Change Vitality are statistically much more likely to achieve real and sustained movement from their change effort.

       Change Vitality explains over half of the reason why big change either succeeds or fails.

       Change Vitality offers individuals an opportunity to rethink their personal way of leading large‐scale, complex change so that it becomes more effortless, more sustainable, and ultimately more successful.

      We feel this matters as we see so much wasted effort in change. Effort that depletes resources—be that financial, human, or even societal cost. Effort that could be so better redirected into creating flourishing organizations and institutions that serve society well.

      The following parts of this Field Guide explain the different Change Vitality dimensions in more detail, provide guidance for how to rate your own leadership and change effort against them, and finally offer suggestions for what you can do to increase your own capability to deliver successful, lasting change in the team, organization, or system that you lead.