“Immunity to Change” by Kegan & Lahey

"Immunity to Change", by Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey, explores the challenges of personal and organizational change. Drawing on their experience as developmental psychologists, Kegan and Lahey argue that many of the challenges we face in personal and professional life stem from our unconscious resistance to change, which they refer to as "immunity to change."

The key idea of the book is that we all have deeply ingrained beliefs and assumptions that limit our ability to change, and that these beliefs and assumptions are often hidden from our conscious awareness. Kegan and Lahey provide a framework for identifying and addressing these limiting beliefs and assumptions, and offer practical advice on how to overcome our immunity to change.

The authors discuss the challenges of change and the concept of immunity to change. Kegan and Lahey argue that our immunity to change stems from deeply ingrained beliefs and assumptions that we are often not aware of. They provide examples of how our immunity to change can hold us back in personal and professional life, and discuss the importance of addressing our immunity to change in order to achieve our goals.

They also break down the process of identifying and addressing our immunity to change, specifically in group contexts. Kegan and Lahey provide a framework for identifying limiting beliefs and assumptions, and offer practical advice on how to challenge and revise these beliefs and assumptions. They provide examples of successful individuals and organizations that have overcome their immunity to change, and discuss the importance of feedback and support in the process of change.

One of the recurring themes of the book is the importance of self-awareness and self-reflection. Kegan and Lahey argue that personal and organizational change requires a deep understanding of our beliefs and assumptions, and that we need to be willing to challenge and revise these beliefs and assumptions in order to grow and achieve our goals. They provide practical advice on how to develop self-awareness and self-reflection skills, and offer examples of successful individuals and organizations that have embraced these skills.

Another crucial theme is the importance of feedback and support in the process of change. Kegan and Lahey argue that we need feedback and support from others in order to overcome our immunity to change, and provide practical advice on how to seek out and receive feedback and support. They also discuss the importance of creating a supportive culture within organizations that encourages feedback and support for individuals who are undergoing personal and professional change.

This book can help product managers identify their own immunities to change, as well as organizational resistance to change.