Strong and weak commitment

Disciplines > Change Management > The psychology of change > Strong and weak commitment

Deep commitment | Shallow commitment | See also

Commitment varies in depth. When you think you have commitment, it may just be shallow. It is important to understand the real commitment you are getting, particularly from key sponsors and major groups of people.

Deep commitment

What you want to get in change is usually a deep and lasting commitment to the change.

Deep commitment is characterized by:

A good understanding of the logic and other reasons.
Alignment of the commitment with personal beliefs, values and motivations.
Strong emotional buy-in to required actions.
Quite likely a personal attachment to the person doing the persuading.
A lasting and robust commitment that withstands counter-arguments.
Little questioning or doubt about what needs doing.
Timely actions and persistence in the face of adversity.

Getting deep commitment usually costs. It requires time and energy to get the person or people bought into the change at a cognitive and affective level.

Shallow commitment

A significant danger in change is a shallow commitment that hides doubt or and actual resistance to change.

Shallow commitment is characterized by:

Possibly a limited understanding of the logic of the argument.
Misalignment with one or more of beliefs, values and motivations.
Limited trust or liking of the person doing the persuading.
Low emotional buy-in.
Wait-and-see, detached attitude. Watching what others do.
Minimal substantive commitment.
Internal justification for limited actions.

Shallow commitment often appears when people understand your argument but are not really bought into the change, for example because they are happy with existing arrangements or are fearful of making a commitment to something they doubt sustainably might work in practice.