Stages of Concern

In order to effectively address and implement change, the number one factor needs to be
communication. That is communication among the change agent, stakeholders, and the teachers who
will be affected by the proposed change. In our district, we currently have pre-k programs placed at
15 elementary schools. That means that many people will be affected by my purposed change. To
ensure that everyone is ready for the innovation, I have created a survey to gain a better understand of
the concerns amid the individuals. For the purpose of this assignment, the survey only contains seven
questions. Each question falls into at least one of the Stages of Concern categories as noted by Hord
and Roussin (2011, pp.86-87). The stages are as follows:

Stage 0- Unconcerned: The individual is unconcerned about the change. They do not
thoughts about the change nor are they interested in the change.

Stage 1- Informational: The individual would like to learn more about the change.

Stage 2- Personal: The individual wants to know how the change will affect them
personally.

Stage 3- Management: The individual is concerned with how much time will be put
into the change and how they will fit the new change into an already busy schedule.

Stage 4- Consequences: The individual is questioning how the change will directly
affect the clients, in this case, the students and the classroom.

Stage 5- Collaboration: The individual is thinking about how they could work with
other team members to make the change more effective.

Stage 6- Refocusing: The individual has ideas that would make the proposed change
even better.

When conducting this survey, I would include the following stakeholders: the principal, the Early
Childhood Director, The Early Childhood manger and at least seven teachers. In the survey given to
the stakeholders, I would have five questions for each Stage of Concern. To determine where the
stakeholders concerns lie, I would average out the scores for each Stage of Concern. From there, I
would determine if the stakeholders as a group are feeling that they are unrelated to the change,
concerned about themselves in relation to the change, concerned about the tasks ahead, or if they are
ready for the impact of change. To create a profile of the concerns, I would create a graph similar to
that provided by Hord and Roussin (2011 pp.106). The graph would show where each individual has
concerns and would also determine if the individuals share similar concerns.
After completing the survey, I would look at my results to see where stakeholders need more
information and perhaps more training. As noted in the article Dealing With Change That the Impact
Model Will Bring (2005), those who are implementing the change need to ensure that they are
supporting and nurturing individuals affect by the change as it moves forward. According to the
Concerned Based Adoption Model, individuals who are in involved in change can be categorized into
the following groups ("Dealing with change," 2005):

Innovators: 8% of any group are eager to address change, they are open to new ideas
and willing to take risks.

Leaders: 17% of any group are open to change but are more thoughtful about getting
involved in the implementation process.

Early Majority: 29% of any group will be extremely cautious and deliberate about
adopting innovation

Late Majority: 29% of any group will be skeptical of adopting new ideas and are very
much set in their ways.

Resisters: 17% of any group will be suspicious of the change and will be opposed to
new ideas.

If the change is going to be implemented correctly, it is essential that all teachers are on board and
willing to move from the Unrelated to the Impact Stage in the Stages of Concern Model. After
completing the survey, I will look at the areas that the stakeholders have the most concerns about. As
Holloway (2003, pp.2) notes, it is important to address those concerns immediately even if it is done
just briefly (p.2). I will also hold additional meetings to give the stakeholders more insight into the
area that they are concerned with. It is also important to address that in order for change to be
successful, stakeholders need to be willing to be flexible, assess the needs of themselves and their
students, initiate collaboration, fail, and ask questions ("Dealing with change," 2005). Overall, it is
important to address the stakeholders concerns while informing them of the part they need to play in
order for the change to effective.

References
Dealing with change that the impact model will bring. (2005). Retrieved from
http://www.ncwiseowl.org/impact/impactadministrators/change.htm
Holloway, K. (2003). A measure of concern. Tools For Schools , 1-8. Retrieved from
http://learningforward.org/docs/tools-for-learning-schools/tools2-03.pdf?sfvrsn=2
Hord, S., & Rousin, J. L. (2011). Implementing change through learning: Concerns-based concepts,
tools and strategies for guiding change. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.