Immunity to Change: How to Overcome It and Unlock Potential in Yourself and Your Organization
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- Create Date：2021-11-09 06:53:14
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Robert Kegan
- ISBN：1422117367
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Summary
Unlock your potential and finally move forward。
A recent study showed that when doctors tell heart patients they will die if they don't change their habits， only one in seven will be able to follow through successfully。 Desire and motivation aren't enough: even when it's literally a matter of life or death， the ability to change remains maddeningly elusive。
Given that the status quo is so potent， how can we change ourselves and our organizations？
In Immunity to Change， authors Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey show how our individual beliefs--along with the collective mind-sets in our organizations--combine to create a natural but powerful immunity to change。 By revealing how this mechanism holds us back， Kegan and Lahey give us the keys to unlock our potential and finally move forward。 And by pinpointing and uprooting our own immunities to change， we can bring our organizations forward with us。
This persuasive and practical book， filled with hands-on diagnostics and compelling case studies， delivers the tools you need to overcome the forces of inertia and transform your life and your work。
A recent study showed that when doctors tell heart patients they will die if they don't change their habits， only one in seven will be able to follow through successfully。 Desire and motivation aren't enough: even when it's literally a matter of life or death， the ability to change remains maddeningly elusive。
Given that the status quo is so potent， how can we change ourselves and our organizations？
In Immunity to Change， authors Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey show how our individual beliefs--along with the collective mind-sets in our organizations--combine to create a natural but powerful immunity to change。 By revealing how this mechanism holds us back， Kegan and Lahey give us the keys to unlock our potential and finally move forward。 And by pinpointing and uprooting our own immunities to change， we can bring our organizations forward with us。
This persuasive and practical book， filled with hands-on diagnostics and compelling case studies， delivers the tools you need to overcome the forces of inertia and transform your life and your work。
Reviews
Mitch Olson
，
I didn't realise this book was a workbook; this should be more clearly articulated。 It would probably be great for an organisational change program manager learning their organisation through Kegan's Constructive Development Theory's "Immunity to change" diagnostic model， but no good for anyone else。 There is so much obvious stuff missing in CDT that I was hoping that Kegan might have built on CDT after all of these years， but other than this simple but tool there were no new insights。 My rating I didn't realise this book was a workbook; this should be more clearly articulated。 It would probably be great for an organisational change program manager learning their organisation through Kegan's Constructive Development Theory's "Immunity to change" diagnostic model， but no good for anyone else。 There is so much obvious stuff missing in CDT that I was hoping that Kegan might have built on CDT after all of these years， but other than this simple but tool there were no new insights。 My rating reflects the value I got out of there book; as per my first paragraph， others may get more。 。。。more
Zoë
，
Bit of a slog。 Another corporate tool for leaders to diagnose and overcome the things holding them and their teams back。 Some interesting approaches and theories about ways of thinking which I could pluck from for coaching， and some models to encourage people to interrogate their immunities to doing things differently。 Stresses how behavioural change can only come through mindset change， otherwise you're attacking a problem in a technical way， not an adaptive way。 I'm explaining it badly。 But do Bit of a slog。 Another corporate tool for leaders to diagnose and overcome the things holding them and their teams back。 Some interesting approaches and theories about ways of thinking which I could pluck from for coaching， and some models to encourage people to interrogate their immunities to doing things differently。 Stresses how behavioural change can only come through mindset change， otherwise you're attacking a problem in a technical way， not an adaptive way。 I'm explaining it badly。 But do you want to read all 320 pages？ Happy to lend but you might not be terribly inspired。 Perhaps that's reasonable， though。 Changing our beliefs which have protected and limited us isn't something anyone can do overnight and this is about long-term challenge， testing and adjusting。The case studies were often annoying， and there are SO many men called John and Paul etc （and a couple of women who are bonkers） - so their illustrations were a bit of a turnoff。 And they're clearly selling their model and practitioners thereof， but it was moderately soft， as sales pitches go。Anyway。 I read it on the advice of my coaching supervision supervisor and now I can say I've read it， and I took some notes as per my learning style and now it's going in the pile of books I bought for this work course。 A pricey commitment in time and money！ 。。。more
Ashik Uzzaman
，
Last week I finished "Immunity to Change: How to Overcome It and Unlock the Potential in Yourself and Your Organization" by Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey。 I got the reference of this book in a leadership development program that I joined from my company。 The authors talk about how strongly we resist changes personally as well as organizationally and how to overcome it with a 4 steps process。 It's a bit dry book though。 （1） Commitment - generate ideas about possible improvement goals（2） Doin Last week I finished "Immunity to Change: How to Overcome It and Unlock the Potential in Yourself and Your Organization" by Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey。 I got the reference of this book in a leadership development program that I joined from my company。 The authors talk about how strongly we resist changes personally as well as organizationally and how to overcome it with a 4 steps process。 It's a bit dry book though。 （1） Commitment - generate ideas about possible improvement goals（2） Doing / not doing instead - what is the action or behavior you are demonstrating（3） Hidden competing commitments - fear or dislike that may hold you from doing it（4） Big Assumptions - experiments to test validity of big assumptions Source: http://www。dragon-bishop。com/2021/08/。。。 。。。more
Stephan Adriani
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Niet te harden pretentieus。
Christoffel Sneijders
，
Great book for analysisGreat book for the analysis why we do not change， the solutions are more old school。 Although it share feelings are important the 4 steps stay merely a mind process
David Baer
，
Given the nature of my “professional” work， I thought this might be a valuable read。 Big mistake。 OK， rather， Small mistake， since I DNF’d around halfway through。 “Twaddle” is a word that comes to mind。 Despite that the authors claim this book to be of value for change agents at any level， in reality， the focus is entirely on senior executive level dynamics in large-corporation environments。 They have a way of spinning long chapters about how great their methods and results are， without giving y Given the nature of my “professional” work， I thought this might be a valuable read。 Big mistake。 OK， rather， Small mistake， since I DNF’d around halfway through。 “Twaddle” is a word that comes to mind。 Despite that the authors claim this book to be of value for change agents at any level， in reality， the focus is entirely on senior executive level dynamics in large-corporation environments。 They have a way of spinning long chapters about how great their methods and results are， without giving you any practical insights at all into just how these methods work， what kind of results they obtain， or even what their core terminology really means。 In one chapter， they must have used the term “mental complexity” more than one hundred times， but all I really knew at the end was that it is good to have the highest possible level of mental complexity。 I found nothing whatsoever that could conceivably be of any use to me at my level， nor indeed of any level that I can imagine。 I imagine the book’s existence serves as part of their ongoing sales and promotional strategy that nets them the main prize: fat consulting fees at the behest of grateful senior executive teams。 A member of such a team may find （say） the blinding realization that “I have a problem with （being too much in） control” to be worth six （or so） figures of consulting fees， and the concomitant “language to discuss it” that allows his senior colleagues to recognize and call him out may seem like dividends that further justify the expense。 As an added bonus （win-win！）， they can hand out copies of this book to their teams so everyone can pretend to have read it and build their team dynamic in that way as well。 。。。more
Vinay Mehta
，
I heard the audiobook version and frankly all the chapters seemed like self indulged propagation of their researched theory which at most times seemed not directly results of the team experiments but a lot dependent on organisation’s factors。 Why would I listen to 9 chapters of your propaganda and self boasting when the benefits to myself are only revealed in chapters 10 and 11。 This seemed like an hour’s concept （and weeks of implementation） written in a book format， which resulted in burdened I heard the audiobook version and frankly all the chapters seemed like self indulged propagation of their researched theory which at most times seemed not directly results of the team experiments but a lot dependent on organisation’s factors。 Why would I listen to 9 chapters of your propaganda and self boasting when the benefits to myself are only revealed in chapters 10 and 11。 This seemed like an hour’s concept （and weeks of implementation） written in a book format， which resulted in burdened time spent and dissuaded me to drop it against my best intent。 。。。more
Andrey
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Great idea and framework but so much water。 I wish there'd be a masterclass on this and not a book Great idea and framework but so much water。 I wish there'd be a masterclass on this and not a book 。。。more
Yaroslav Doroshchuk
，
This book is good by itself。 If you find a time and a will to go through journies of meeting your own adaptive mechanics and challenge them - your life will not be the same。
Ben
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Extremely useful framework for personal growth and organizational growth。 Tied to ADT。 Provides anecdotal and research based evidence。 Provides specific frameworks for self-， team-development， and how to use this to grow leaders。
Annechristine
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Very interesting concept of taking an "X-Ray" of your thinking。 It definitely helps to change your mindset and let teams work more efficiently。 Very interesting concept of taking an "X-Ray" of your thinking。 It definitely helps to change your mindset and let teams work more efficiently。 。。。more
Sarah Clifton
，
Interesting information， I like the map style， however I wish the case studies were after the more general explanation。 I felt a bit lost in this book and having to read it for school I didn’t feel as inspired as other books I’ve read。 Disappointing。
Lukas Slavik
，
The book is good and quite interesting。 Basically it says: go deep into your fears and challenge your assumptions。。 there are many examples and evidence for the hypothesis。 The authors can’t hide the fact that they are researchers。 Well they aren’t trying to hide it， but what i mean is that being less scientific， the book could have been shorter and more readable。 I think it would be a Good improvement。 Alternatively， the reader shall have more patience and time than me
James Wu
，
Must read for anyone interested in the fundamentals of catalyzing behavior change， for self， others， and organizations。
Likkia
，
This book certainly had valuable information and exercises。 I imagine you would definitely need the authors or their consultants to come in and lead an organizational process。 On a individual basis， the book may be pretty effective if you are open to the process。
Patricia
，
I've speed-read this， and plan to go over it more slowly over the next few months。 It's a provocative look at how we sabotage ourselves when it comes to personal development。 I've found it useful to do the exercises and use this methodology to untangle why I can （consciously） commit to change and yet still never quite get there。 I've speed-read this， and plan to go over it more slowly over the next few months。 It's a provocative look at how we sabotage ourselves when it comes to personal development。 I've found it useful to do the exercises and use this methodology to untangle why I can （consciously） commit to change and yet still never quite get there。 。。。more
Marc
，
Not only in these times but certainly due to COVID-19 the world again discusses about change。 On a global level， on a regional level， in your company， in your team and change will happen to us as an individual as well。 Change is happening more often and faster。 But - can we change， do we want to change and do we have the ability to distinguish between behavioral and adaptive change ？ This book can help you in creating a structured plan of overcoming your competing commitments against your big th Not only in these times but certainly due to COVID-19 the world again discusses about change。 On a global level， on a regional level， in your company， in your team and change will happen to us as an individual as well。 Change is happening more often and faster。 But - can we change， do we want to change and do we have the ability to distinguish between behavioral and adaptive change ？ This book can help you in creating a structured plan of overcoming your competing commitments against your big thing you want to change。 It is not a sprint， but it is not a marathon either。 But it requires to thoroughly think about what you really want to change and what is blocking you to do so。 It is definitely a great help to develop your skills in mindfulness and compassionate leadership as it provides you tools for better and clear self awareness。 。。。more
Zach Walston
，
Immunity to Change provides a great framework for identifying why change is hard on an individual， group， and organizational level。 The authors go through the why before addressing the how。 They use stories to showcase how their system works and walk you through easy application of their tools。 Even if you don't use the tool， the theory and insights are valuable。"If you do not attend as much to develop as leaders， then your leadership development will always be directed to the plan or agenda yo Immunity to Change provides a great framework for identifying why change is hard on an individual， group， and organizational level。 The authors go through the why before addressing the how。 They use stories to showcase how their system works and walk you through easy application of their tools。 Even if you don't use the tool， the theory and insights are valuable。"If you do not attend as much to develop as leaders， then your leadership development will always be directed to the plan or agenda you have。""The two most important things to know about people you are trying to help change: What do they really want and what will they do to keep from getting it？""You need to develop yourself before you can develop others。""Ask others: what is the single thing you think is most important for me to get better at。 That should be your focus。""You can't solve by brilliant analysis later what you screwed up at the start in the original design。" 。。。more
Heidi
，
Format: AudiobookAlthough i listened by Audio & couldn't see the PDF references， i enjoyed this Book immensely & would certainly like to see the PDF version often referred to within this book。 Format: AudiobookAlthough i listened by Audio & couldn't see the PDF references， i enjoyed this Book immensely & would certainly like to see the PDF version often referred to within this book。 。。。more
Manuela Vazquez
，
Good read， and good balance between theory and practice。 Concrete examples that are easy to read and follow。 Took some good learnings from it and recommending it to a few people！
Dean Kameros
，
Audio
Antonio Iturra
，
Excelente libro。 Se hace algo largo a veces pero es intensivo en ejemplos y casos prácticos que permiten entender cómo aplicar la herramienta。 Muestra años de investigación que cristalizan en un modelo robusto para trabajo personal y organizacional。
Stephanie
，
A 4。5 for me。 The first section is a bit over my head but the rest is a practical process to help identify what really gets in our way to making permanent change。 Helpful for coaches as well as anyone who wants to dig into their own stuff。 Likely best done in partnership with a coach or other partner。
Toni Tassani
，
We don't change， groups don't change， because we've created an unconscious immune system that tries to preserve the status quo， even if we don't want it anymore。 This immune system is based on our "big assumptions" that we take as truths and influence our behaviors。We keep changing after adolescence， authors say， and we can be at different levels of "mental complexity"。 Changing to the next level is not a matter of learning a new skill， is not "technical" change but "adaptive" change。They presen We don't change， groups don't change， because we've created an unconscious immune system that tries to preserve the status quo， even if we don't want it anymore。 This immune system is based on our "big assumptions" that we take as truths and influence our behaviors。We keep changing after adolescence， authors say， and we can be at different levels of "mental complexity"。 Changing to the next level is not a matter of learning a new skill， is not "technical" change but "adaptive" change。They present a model and a set of exercises to run with individuals and groups who want that change to happen。 In the last chapters you apply the method to yourself。 。。。more
Nurlan Mustafayev
，
After reading this book， I realized why ‘sustainable’ personal change （e。g。 improvement goals） was so hard and even painful without promise of success at all。 It is a book which gives a framework to think about personal/organizational change， develop your immunity map and apply/practice changes in mindset and behavior。 However， this book is not "finding meaning in life"， etc。 After reading this book， I realized why ‘sustainable’ personal change （e。g。 improvement goals） was so hard and even painful without promise of success at all。 It is a book which gives a framework to think about personal/organizational change， develop your immunity map and apply/practice changes in mindset and behavior。 However， this book is not "finding meaning in life"， etc。 。。。more
Everett Shupe
，
Another must read for 21st Century Leaders。
Lucía Gallón Rueda
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The central message of this book is interesting and easy to grasp even for people that are not currently working in the CEO position， or in any sort of administrative position。 The tools it gives for recognizing one’s own obstacles in creating a lasting change are interesting and easy to do by oneself。 But the way in which the book is structured is really unfortunate。 It starts by giving the theory， then it interrupts it with a 300 page chapter （at least in the ebook version） of examples of how The central message of this book is interesting and easy to grasp even for people that are not currently working in the CEO position， or in any sort of administrative position。 The tools it gives for recognizing one’s own obstacles in creating a lasting change are interesting and easy to do by oneself。 But the way in which the book is structured is really unfortunate。 It starts by giving the theory， then it interrupts it with a 300 page chapter （at least in the ebook version） of examples of how their method works， and then goes back to teaching you how to use it。 That interruption not only is really large， but it can put off some readers from continuing to read the book because they can get the feeling that the authors are trying to sell the reader a service。 I think that if the examples were intertwined with the theory or practical sections this problem could have been easily avoided。 I do recommend it， I think it has some valuable ideas at its core， but have in mind that at one moment you may feel as though you’re loosing your time in reading a set of stories that feel more like a form of propaganda than useful examples to explain the theory or to show the practice in action。 。。。more
Megan
，
I would give the Immunity to Change process （I worked on it in my 1:1 leadership coaching） 5 stars， but the book was pretty dry， so it took me a long time to get through it。
Mauro Locarnini
，
An insightful book to help you overcome your personal and and collective immunity to change。 It requires some psychological knowledge to understand the underpinnings of their framework， but it is easily accessible to pretty much anyone。 simply written， full of good examples to illustrate their framework and help the reader connect with the content。 Highly recommended to anyone trying to facilitate change at individual or small group level。
Nastya Khyzhniak
，