A Closer
Look at One Model
Stage 1:
Awareness Raising – This stage is intended to raise interest
and create support for organizational change at a senior level
by clarifying health-related problems in the organizational environment
and identifying potential solutions. For example, raising awareness
of the problem of school bullying may involve senior bureaucrats
and trustees at a school board becoming concerned about the negative
impacts of bullying on their students and the potential role in
preventing bullying that can be played by the educational system.
Stage 2:
Adoption – This stage involves planning for and adopting
a policy, program or other innovation addressing the problem described
in Stage 1. This stage also involves the identification of resources
needed for implementation. Ideally, this stage will involve negotiation
and the possible modification of the innovation to make it more
compatible with the unique features and culture of an organization.
The organizational ‘gatekeepers’ who are most closely
involved in the day-to-day running of an organization are also
the most directly involved in this stage. For example, school
principals will play a lead role in adopting and implementing
an anti-bullying policy at their particular school
Stage 3:
Implementation – This stage is concerned with the technical
aspects of program delivery, including the provision of training
and material support needed for the introduction of change. The
capacity building that occurs during this stage is essential for
the successful introduction and maintenance of change in organizations.
Those who play a direct role in implementing the solution are
most closely involved in this stage. For example, the successful
implementation of an anti-bullying policy may require training
sessions to increase the capacity of teachers to effectively respond
to incidents of bullying.
Stage 4:
Institutionalization - This stage is concerned with the long-term
maintenance of an innovation. Senior administrators again become
the leading players by establishing systems for monitoring and
quality control, including the continued investment in resources
and training.
This theory
of organizational change is particularly helpful for illustrating:
the
ways in which organizations function at different levels;
how the achievement
of organizational change may be achieved through a staged process;
and
how each stage requires
the involvement of different levels within an organization.
This theory
is most useful in situations where an organization is a potential
adopter of a previously developed program or policy. It is not
as helpful when an organization is developing in a more holistic
way, such as creating supportive environments for employees.
