Watson’s Three Domains of Change (and Stewardship)

We make use of a framework offered by Goodwin Watson, a noted expert on the management of change. Watson wrote about the ingredients needed for effective, lasting change. He identified three domains in which change can take place. One domain is structure, with the second domain being process and the third domain being attitude/culture. Eventually, all three domains need to be engaged if change is to be sustained. We offer a summary description of each domain:

Structure is all of those organizationally defined parameters and connections within and through which persons and processes in an organization carry out the purpose of the organization. It is the formal and dynamic architecture defined by the organization within which the mission of the organization is carried out.

Process is inclusive of functions and activities that are integral to achieving the results of an organization. It concerns the day-to-day interaction among those who work in and for the organization.

Attitude is the individual and corporate mental and emotional landscape upon which decisions about the organization and its process are navigated. It concerns the foundational culture of the organization, as well as the assumptions, beliefs, values and personal aspirations that animate and guide those engaged in the activities of the organization.

We suggest that the same three domains apply when considering the stewardship of any professional or field of human service. The two of us are particularly interested in the emerging profession of coaching and, with some of our colleagues have sought to “steward” this profession in several ways over the past decade. This magazine (“Future of Coaching”) represents one of these endeavors, as does the Library of Professional Coaching in which the Future of Coaching is housed. We would identify these sources of digital publications as structural changes.

Here are the essays in this issue of The Future of Coaching that align with Watson’s three domains.