Strategies for applying C-BAM (Concerns-Based Adoption Model)
Like it or not, ready or not, all of us involved in this process (you, your fellow educators, your students, their parents and me, your humble author) are working to transform traditional schools (the legacy model) designed to serve needs of the past, into learning organizations that can serve our collective needs, both in the present and in the future.
This is a very scary thought to very many people. Especially if it means they will have to change the things they do and the way they do them. So far every other part of society has made profound changes that come with technology to a greater degree than our schools.
Fortunately, there is a model which helps us prepare for the reactions we can expect, and helps people progress through the understandable concerns they will have along the way to mastering new practices and strategies.
Concerns-Based Adoption Model ladder
The graphic above is based on the Concerns Based Adoption Model (C-BAM) that suggests there are three main orientations.
In the first, people are very concerned, and often fearful, of what change will mean to them, personally. This is the “ME” phase.
Only after these concerns are addressed can people focus on “IT” – the actual new processes of the change. Here the focus is on “how do I do it?” and “how can I do it better?”
Finally, people realize that only by everyone working together can the change provide the benefits to all. People start thinking about how they can collaborate and improve results together. When enough people reach the “US” phase, the change becomes a part of the culture. Schools become learning organizations.