As a Scrum Master, one of your key responsibilities is to help your team identify and overcome obstacles to their performance. While there are many tools and techniques available, one powerful approach you might not have considered is Kegan’s Immunity-to-Change (ITC) process. This method helps uncover the hidden, often subconscious, reasons why individuals and teams resist change, even when they are committed to improvement. This introductory post will provide an overview of Kegan’s ITC process and how you can use it to facilitate meaningful change in your team. The process is discussed in detail in their book with the title:

Immunity to Change. How to overcome it and Unlock the Potential in Yourself and Your Organization.

What is Kegan’s Immunity-to-Change Process?

Developed by Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey, the Immunity-to-Change process is based on the idea that people often have a psychological immune system that protects them from change. This immune system consists of deeply held beliefs, assumptions, and fears that can create hidden barriers to change. By identifying and addressing these barriers, teams can unlock their full potential and achieve their goals.

Why Use the Immunity-to-Change Process?

1. Identifies Root Causes: The ITC process goes beyond surface-level symptoms to uncover the underlying beliefs and assumptions that hinder progress.
2. Promotes Deep Reflection: It encourages team members to reflect on their own behavior and thought patterns, fostering greater self-awareness and personal growth.
3. Enhances Team Cohesion: By addressing these hidden barriers together, teams can build stronger relationships and a more supportive environment.
4. Drives Sustainable Change: By targeting the root causes of resistance, the ITC process helps teams make lasting changes rather than temporary fixes.

How to Facilitate the ITC Process

As a Scrum Master, you can guide your team through the ITC process in a series of steps. This introductory post will outline the process, with detailed follow-ups on each step in follow-up posts.

1. Identify the Improvement Goal

Begin by helping the team identify a clear and specific improvement goal. This goal should be meaningful and relevant to the team’s work. For example, the goal might be to improve communication during sprints or to reduce the number of defects in the code.

2. Uncover Hidden Commitments

Next, explore the hidden commitments that might be working against the improvement goal. These are the subconscious commitments that team members hold that can conflict with the stated goal. For example, a team member might be committed to avoiding conflict, which prevents open and honest communication.

3. Identify Big Assumptions

Hidden commitments are often supported by underlying assumptions. In this step, help the team identify these “big assumptions” that drive their behavior. For example, a team member might assume that voicing concerns will lead to being judged or ostracized by the team.

4. Test and Transform Assumptions

Finally, guide the team in testing and transforming these big assumptions. This involves creating safe, small experiments to challenge these assumptions and gather evidence about their validity. Over time, this can lead to new insights and behaviors that support the improvement goal.

Getting Started with the ITC Process

To begin facilitating the ITC process with your team, follow these initial steps:

1. Create a Safe Environment: Ensure that the team feels safe and supported in discussing their thoughts and feelings. Trust and psychological safety are crucial for the process to be effective.
2. Schedule a Workshop: Dedicate time for a workshop where you can introduce the ITC process and begin working through the steps. Make sure all team members are present and engaged.
3. Use Visual Aids: Visual aids like whiteboards or sticky notes can help the team map out their improvement goals, hidden commitments, and big assumptions.
4. Encourage Open Dialogue: Foster an open and non-judgmental dialogue. Encourage team members to share their thoughts and experiences honestly.

Conclusion

Kegan’s Immunity-to-Change process offers a powerful framework for uncovering and addressing the root causes of performance issues within your team. By guiding your team through this process, you can help them achieve deeper insights, foster greater cohesion, and drive sustainable change. Stay tuned for our follow-up posts, where we will delve into each of the four steps in detail, providing practical tips and examples to help you facilitate this transformative process.

As a Scrum Master, embracing the ITC process can be a game-changer for your team, enabling them to overcome hidden barriers and unlock their true potential. Start exploring this innovative approach today and watch your team thrive.