This is an exercise used in a wide range of contexts where individuals wish to make a change in how they are living or doing their job, but find it difficult to do so. The exercise is based upon the work of Robert Kegan and his associate Lisa Lahey. They developed the exercise specifically for a work environment and it is described in detail in their book “Immunity to Change” Harvard Business Press, 2009.

The exercise starts by asking you to specify a commitment that you have to making a change. It then takes you through a sequence of steps that enable you to see some of the reasons why you are finding it difficult to making the change you have specified. Most people are surprised by what they discover. As explained in the final step of the process, discovering what is in your way is necessary but on its own not enough. Making profound changes takes time and the final step suggests ways in which you can maintain a momentum in order to complete your commitment to change.

The exercise is described in a separate sequence of steps that can be accessed sequentially from the bottom of this page.

It is important that you do not read through the steps until you are ready to complete the exercise, which takes most people 20-30 minutes. Before starting on the exercise you will need to have pen and paper available to make a record of your responses in each step.

If you would prefer to have a paper copy on which to complete the exercise you can download this here Immunity to Change.

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