Useful models of systems change

Jim McGee, in a short post on useful models of systems change, introduces the Satir change model. I’ve been somewhat focused lately on trying to define the nature of systemic change. Why do some ideas resonate with people? Why are certain technologies adopted and others ignored? Why does one department readily embrace the spiral of idea generation, while another is antagonistic to different approaches? The challenge of differentiated adoption seems to rest in at least two elements: the nature of change at a systems level (as addressed with the Satir model) and the attributes/attitudes of the people who are key elements of the larger system. Understanding change involves, at minimum, understanding these two elements.