The Role of First-Person Inquiry and Developmental Capacity on Transforming Perspectives About Facilitating Organizational Change
Keywords:
transformative learning, first-person inquiry, facilitation, organizational change, developmental capacityAbstract
The purpose of this paper is to examine through the lens of first-person inquiry, what it means to be a change agent attempting to navigate the complexities of organizational change. A review of the literature examines the roles of first-person inquiry, developmental capacity, and transformative learning in increasing self-awareness among facilitators in their attempts at effecting organizational change. By illustrating the inherent individual, group, and systemic challenges that can seem disorienting to facilitators, especially when they are attempting to create conditions for organizational change within a system that pushes back and resists change, change agents must gain insight and transform their perspectives on the role of facilitation. More specifically, while there are no quick fixes, the implications suggest facilitators must be aware of how such factors as developmental capacity, having clarity of purpose, and adapting to individual, group, and systemic challenges impact their change efforts. Thus, a key takeaway for facilitators is while some may think anyone can do action research in any system, the reality is organizational change is difficult to attempt.
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