ABSTRACT
Introduction Before we can help others guide desired change, we must understand how change occurs. For all the time and energy devoted to change, there are surprisingly few theories about it. In this chapter, we present Intentional Change Theory (ICT). Briefly, ICT postulates that sustainable, desired change occurs as a discontinuous, nonlinear process through a series of emergent discoveries. In teams, the first discovery must be a shared vision, which engages the motivational pull of the Positive Emotional Attractor. It will be shown how this invokes neuro-endocrine processes within the team members that allow (Boyatzis and McKee 2005) creative, open, and complex thought. This arousal allows team members to adapt, innovate, and be resilient. But unless team members are pulled to alternate between two emotional attractors (the Positive Emotional Attractor and the Negative Emotional Attractor), no change occurs.
