HR and L&D executives understand that increasing someone’s knowledge is quite different from getting them to make lasting changes in their on-the-job behaviours and it requires a different model of learning. Boyatzis’ intentional change theory offers such a model.
Richard Boyatzis is a professor in the psychology and organizational behaviour departments of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. He became well known as one of the founding fathers of the behavioural competency movement that continues to permeate organizations today. This article focuses on his subsequent work on how people can make lasting changes in their behaviour. He initially called his model self-directed learning theory but adopted the name intentional change as the model continued to develop.
The model contends that we are more likely to achieve sustainable change when we actively seek to make five discoveries:
- Our ideal self: the person and leader we truly want to be
- Our real self: our current nature and how this compares to our ideal self
- Our personal learning agenda: the things we need to change and do to close the gap
- Opportunities for experimenting with and practicing new behaviours
- Those who can help, support and challenge us as we work on changing our behaviour
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Boyatzis’ model offers a great deal to HR and L&D professionals charged with developing leadership in their organizations. It picks up on two fundamental foundations of behavioural learning: motivation and practice. Drawing on the earlier work of his Case Western colleagues on appreciative inquiry, Boyatzis applies the motivational pull of a desirable future (dreaming) to personal rather than organizational change. He also borrows the notion of identifying (discovering) and creatively using (designing) existing strengths to move you closer to the leader you want to be in the future. And, as Tamara pointed out last week, this focus on strengths is intrinsically motivating.
However, in my mind, it is the focus on experimentation and practice that sets intentional change apart. As we are fond saying, leadership is about what you do, not what you know. If you want to learn how to competently execute a new set of behaviours—be it playing the violin, improving your putting or being a better leader—you must devote time to practice.
