Why Do People Change?

  1. People tend to change when they have participated in the decision to change.
  2. People tend to change when the rewards for change exceed the pain of change.
  3. People tend to change when they see others changing, particularly when the change direction is supported by valued persons.
  4. People tend to change more readily when they have the competencies, knowledge and skills required by the change.
  5. People tend to change more readily in an environment free from threat and judgement.
  6. People tend to change to the degree that they trust the motives of the persons trying to induce the change.
  7. People tend to change more readily if they are able to influence reciprocally the person or persons attempting to influence them.
  8. People tend to change to the degree that they see the change has been successful, especially if they are able to gather data for themselves.
  9. People tend to change either in a series of small steps or as a total change in their way of life.
  10. People tend to maintain change as the change is supported by their environment.
  11. People tend to maintain change if there is public commitment to the change.
  12. People tend to resist change to the degree that they fee it is being imposed upon them.

Based on research done at the National Training Laboratories, Bethel, Main