History

Change management has no single starting point. It grew out of several traditions that overlap and sometimes disagree. Years shown are publication or attributed development years, not the start of the whole field. It is not a straight line towards one best model.

1. 1940s

   Lewin: group dynamics and change

   Historical contribution

   Kurt Lewin studied behaviour as part of a group and its social field, not as an isolated individual choice. He linked researching a situation to changing it together with the people involved, an approach later known as action research. He was one of several contributors to a field that took shape over decades. (Lewin (1947), S10)

   Meaning for practice (Codex interpretation)

   Look at team norms and the social context before targeting individuals. Involve people in investigating the situation, not only in hearing the outcome.

   Limits

   His work came from a specific historical setting and is often retold in simplified form. It does not offer a ready-made method for today's organisations.

2. 1950s

   Socio-technical systems: Tavistock

   Historical contribution

   Research associated with the Tavistock Institute, including Trist and Bamforth's 1951 study of mechanised coal mining, showed that a new technical system also changed the social structure of work groups. People, the organisation of work and technology needed joint attention. (Trist & Bamforth (1951), S11; Tavistock Institute, S12)

   Meaning for practice (Codex interpretation)

   When a system, process or structure changes, design the work and the organisation alongside it. This applies to digital tools and job design as much as to buildings.

   Limits

   The early studies concerned industrial settings. Applying the principles to knowledge work requires translation, not direct transfer.

3. Diffusion research (5th ed. 2003)

   Rogers: how new practices spread

   Historical contribution

   Everett Rogers synthesised research on how new ideas and practices spread through communication channels and social networks over time. The edition consulted here is the fifth (2003); the work itself first appeared decades earlier. (Rogers (2003, 5th ed.), S13)

   Meaning for practice (Codex interpretation)

   Pay attention to who talks to whom, and to how people judge a new practice: its advantage, fit with existing work and how easy it is to try.

   Limits

   Adopter categories describe timing within a specific innovation, not fixed personality types. Spread is also not the same as effective use or good outcomes.

From the 1990s to today

1. 1991

   Bridges: change and transition

   Historical contribution

   In Managing Transitions (1991), William Bridges separated an external change, such as a new structure or system, from the psychological transition people may go through as they let go of an old situation and settle into a new one. (Bridges, bio, S16; Bridges, What is transition?, S17)

   Meaning for practice (Codex interpretation)

   A go-live date says little about where people are in their own transition. Make room for what people lose, not only for what they gain.

   Limits

   This is a perspective on experience, not a universal emotional sequence. People and groups go through change differently.

2. 1995

   Kotter: leading organisational change

   Historical contribution

   John Kotter published in Harvard Business Review on why transformation efforts fail and what leaders can do about it. The article drew wide attention to the leadership side of large-scale change. (Kotter (1995), S18)

   Meaning for practice (Codex interpretation)

   Leadership attention and a shared reason for change matter, particularly when change crosses departments.

   Limits

   The article is based on practice experience rather than systematic research, and it centres on top-down transformation.

3. 1990s-2000s

   ADKAR and professional change support

   Historical contribution

   According to Prosci, Jeff Hiatt developed ADKAR in 1996, with the book following in 2006. ADKAR (awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, reinforcement) is a model for individual change within Prosci's broader methodology. It is part of a wider professionalisation of change support as a role. (Prosci (provider source), S19)

   Meaning for practice (Codex interpretation)

   A checklist of individual building blocks helps to see where support falls short for a specific person or group.

   Limits

   This history comes from the provider itself. The Codex has no independent evaluation of its effects. The individual focus can underplay working conditions and power.

4. 1999

   Weick and Quinn: episodic and continuous change

   Historical contribution

   Karl Weick and Robert Quinn distinguished episodic change, which is occasional and intentional, from continuous change, which is ongoing and builds up through everyday adjustments. (Weick & Quinn (1999), S20)

   Meaning for practice (Codex interpretation)

   Not every change is a project with a clear end date. Some work is better supported by steady learning than by a single programme.

   Limits

   The distinction is analytical. In practice, the two forms mix.

5. 2000-present

   Implementation and behavioural science

   Historical contribution

   Implementation science and behavioural science offer tools to study process, conditions, behaviour, uptake and evaluation. Examples are Weiner's theory of organisational readiness (2009), the COM-B model of capability, opportunity and motivation (2011) and Nilsen's overview of implementation theories, models and frameworks (2015). (Weiner (2009), S02; Michie et al. (2011), S01; Nilsen (2015), S21)

   Meaning for practice (Codex interpretation)

   These tools help to name what exactly needs to change and to check whether it happens in practice.

   Limits

   This tradition does not replace earlier ones and partly comes from other fields, such as healthcare. Transfer to workplaces needs care.

The historical contributions draw on the sources named. The meaning for practice and the limits are editorial interpretation by Workplace Codex.