ABSTRACT

There are many different approaches to making change. It is important to understand that approaches to change vary depending on many elements. One element that directly impacts the change process is where the change is to occur. Despite the differences among approaches to change, the common element they share is the purpose of bringing about sustainable and long-lasting change. This purpose is the why of change. Another important idea to understand is that the change process is based on years of research and applied practice. There is an entire area of study—Change Theory—devoted to understanding and explaining how individuals and organizations go through change. The change has become part of what they do. An individual's comfort level often goes back to what it was prior to the change. The planning stage involves clearly understanding the issue and determining and developing an intervention or an approach to overcome the issue.