OPENNESS TO CHANGE

As we suggested in the previous section, some individuals, due to personality and

early life experiences, are more poised to learn and are more likely to start the
learning process on their own. What we have not yet discussed is what makes a
person ready to learn what an organization needs them to learn. Studies of
change within individuals have found that people move through a series of five
stages of readiness to learn and change:

1. In precontemplation, people are unaware or underaware that their goals are

not being reached or that there are obstacles in their way. This may occur for
several reasons. For example, there may be a mismatch between the goals and
obstacles that the individual is aware of and interested in and the goals the
organization is interested in the individual pursuing.
2. In contemplation, individuals are aware that goals are not being met and
that obstacles are in their way, but they have not yet made a commitment
to take action to make the change.
3. In preparation, individuals have begun to make small behavioral changes and
intend to take on a larger effort soon.
4. In the action stage, individuals are modifying their behavior, experiences,
and environment to overcome obstacles and reach their goals.
5. Finally, in the maintenance stage, individuals work to maintain changes made
over a period of time.

These five stages, and the theory behind these stages (transtheoretical model of
change), have been shown to be remarkably robust in their ability to explain
behavior change (learning) across a broad range of behaviors, from addictions to
professional practices (Prochaska, DiClemente & Norcross, 1992; Prochaska,
Prochaska, & Levesque, 2001).
Research comparing stage distributions across a range of behaviors and
populations found that about 40% of “preaction” individuals are in the
precontemplation stage, 40% are in the contemplation stage, and only 20% are in
the preparation stage (Laforge, Velicer, Richmond, & Owen, 1999; Velicer, Fava,
Prochaska, Abrams, Emmons, & Pierce, 1995). People in precontemplation and
contemplation who are required to participate in some sort of learning situation
to alter their behavior are likely to see change as imposed on them. They can
become resistant and defensive if forced to take action before they are ready. This
has implications for both group and organizational learning as well. It
demonstrates that individuals, groups, and organizations need to be open and
ready for change (the preparation and action stages) in order for the learning
needed by the organization to have a chance to occur!

Motivation to Learn
Individuals can be motivated to learn only what is needed in certain stages of
readiness. That is, they must be in at least the preparation stage where they are
aware that they need to work on certain goals and obstacles at work and are ready
to do so. In general, all adults want to make sense of their world, find meaning,
and be effective at what they value (Wlodkowski, 1998). This is what fuels an
individual’s motivation to learn, and when there is a match between an
individual’s interests and stage of readiness, then motivation to learn will be
heightened in that direction. The key here is triggering the needed learning to be
in line with what is needed at work—and remember, the organization cannot
force learning, it can only trigger it, support it, and provide resources to
encourage a certain direction. Motivation to learn is a person’s tendency to find
the learning activities meaningful and of benefit to them. People with a strong
motivation to learn find provided learning activities meaningful and of benefit to
them and actively pursue such activities.
There are several related disciplines that have targeted motivation to learn in one
form or another. First, Wlodkowski (1998) concentrated on four work conditions that
can substantially enhance an adult’s motivation to learn: (a) attitude, (b) competence,
(c) meaning, and (d) inclusion. Attitude, which we have already touched on in
several forms in this chapter, is a predisposition to respond favorably (or
unfavorably) toward learning. Competence is a person’s natural striving for effective
interactions in their world—it is the desire to be effective at what that person values.
Assuming that the individual values what he or she is doing at work, he or she will
want to be effective and will want to learn what is needed. Meaning is stimulated by
value, interest, and need in the work that the individual is doing—its opposite is
boredom. The extent to which an individual finds the work he or she does interesting,
the more likely he or she will want to learn. If, however, a person is bored with what
they do at work, there is little motivation to learn. Inclusion is the awareness by
learners that they are part of an environment in which they and their instructor are
respected by and connected to one another. The extent to which a person feels
included and has a say in his or her work and setting his or her own learning
goals, the more likely he or she will be motivated to learn.