Shapiro's Compression Theory: A Game-Changer for Organizational Change

So I had the opportunity to chat with Mark Shapiro, the President of the Toronto Blue Jays yesterday and talk to him about his theories and frameworks for change management.

Let me tell you, this guy's got some serious insights on how to get things done in an organization.

He's got this idea he calls "compression theory of change" and it's all about getting your leadership and employees on the same page, working together to create a culture of change.

The way it works is that existing leadership sets a paradigm and mental map for the staff and team to internalize over time. And when new hires come in, they're scanned for affinity to certain characteristics, values, and beliefs that align with that paradigm.

It’s a two way street for Shapiro though. He figures the new staff will feed ideas up and to influence the frame.

And as time goes on, those new hires and existing leadership become galvanized and co-create this internal, organizational compression that makes change happen.

It's a pretty unique approach, and it's one that I think could really work for a lot of organizations out there.

But what's even more interesting is how it differs from some of the other change management theorists like Kotter, Clark, Raymaker, Hodgson, Noble, and Thomas Galvin.

They all have their own perspectives on change, but I think Shapiro's approach is different in that it puts a lot of emphasis on the employees being a critical organizational catalyst for change.

And that's something that's often overlooked in change management, but it's a key piece to the puzzle. I wonder if Shapiro's compression theory of change is something that could work for your organization.

The key to change management is making it stick. And Shapiro's approach does just that. It's not just about making a change, it's about making it stick.

So, I'll leave you with some key questions to think about (How Change Happens, Oxfam, 2007):

1. How can you involve your employees as a catalyst for change?
2. How can you create a mental map and paradigm for your team to internalize change over time?
3. What are some ways to make changes stick in your organization?
4. What is the change that you want to explain?
5. Who or what was involved in the change?
6. What strategies were used to bring about the change?
7. What were the contexts that affected how the change happened?
8. What was the process or pathway of change?Assessing the elements of change.

For the holistic analysts out there here is an additional set of questions to ask yourself regarding change from an intersectional approach:

The role of chance or unknown factors in the change process:

• What were the unexpected events or factors that played a role in the change?
• How did the organization or individuals involved react to and manage these unknown factors?

The long-term effects or unintended consequences of change:

• What are the potential long-term consequences of this change?
• How will the change be monitored and evaluated over time to assess its effectiveness and impact?

The intersectionality of multiple identities of individuals and groups and how that might influence their role in the change:

• How did the change affect individuals and groups from different backgrounds and identities?
• What steps were taken to ensure that the perspectives and needs of marginalized groups were taken into account during the change process?

The role of power dynamics, privilege, and structural inequalities in the change process:

• Who had the power to initiate and shape the change?
• How did privilege and power imbalances within the organization or community affect the change process?
• How did structural inequalities within society impact the change process?