Awareness-Acceptance-Action and Evidence for Action

In an earlier post I described the aspects of learning and change.  There are three components that must be in place for change to take place at an individual or organizational level.  These are:  Awareness, Acceptance, and Action (view slides 8 and 9).  In the last 24 hours I have had conversations in multiple contexts that show how these steps have to be personalized before action can be even considered.

Yesterday I wrote about the need for flu vaccinations early this year--the Centers for Disease Control  (CDC) have already approved the release and distribution of "regular, seasonal" flu vaccines that we usually see in October.  Because we need three shots this year, the CDC is encouraging everyone to take the seasonal shot early.  Several people I spoke with had not personalized that information.  They had "lumped" the seasonal flu shot and the H1N1 (Swine flu) shot--not projected to be available until October or November--together and were avoiding thinking about any flu shots until later in the year.

Today I was having a conversation about the challenge that some association managers have in trusting in and personalizing information they may receive from research reports, news letters, and well known speakers regarding the needs of the members of their associations.  At the same time few of these association managers actually ask questions of their members to take authentic input regarding unmet needs.

This reminds me, again, of some classic action learning concepts.  Reg Revans, one of the founders of action learning, was a researcher in the United Kingdom and was involved in the follow-up to the sinking of the Titanic.

 As I recall the history, he went to leaders of the different engineering groups who built the Titanic and received the same kind of message from several of the most distinguished engineers working on the project.  (This is a paraphrase, of course.)  "I thought that the "xyz" (pick an engineering problem) was a problem and then I realized that "Dr. ABC" (another leading expert in the field) was in charge of that department and I knew that what I was wondering about must have been handled by the experts.  Enough of the "xyz" problems existed when the Titanic went to sea that it sank after colliding with an iceberg.

Association managers and everyone else make decisions every day--some of which are based on evidence and others on emotions or other factors.  A major question remains, what evidence is required to be accepted and trusted on a personal level to allow a decision-maker to move through the phases of awareness (there is a need to change); acceptance (I must take--or approve--action to make a change); and action (actually moving through the learning and change and investment required to accomplish the change)?

The earlier post mentioned the concept of denial. What evidence of decay (lack of positive growth) or dis-ease is needed before a decision-maker recognizes that there is a new need to change.  What used to work is no longer working.  What do I (we) need to do now?

Sometimes membership groups need to ask questions of their members.  At other times the information resources of newsletters, magazines, reviews, media, and informed speakers can provide the necessary information to allow the decision-maker to take action--even if the initial action is to ask questions of the membership.  In fact, sometimes the act of asking questions actually informs the people being asked.
What evidence for change are you looking for?  How will you recognize it when you see it?  What will it take for you to move through the three phases--awareness-acceptance-action--and do something about it?