CSI 2: Unlocking a Personal Approach to Change

By Kelly McDonald Talent Development Change Management, CSI 2

In many organizations, change is the status quo. Whether it’s implementing a new software tool for a team or undergoing a complete organizational restructuring, change comes in all shapes and sizes. As with any change, reactions towards the matter can vary. Some embrace change with enthusiasm, while others approach it with caution, seeking to understand its details and impacts.

Any change initiative hinges on how well people adapt to and embrace it, which is why we are thrilled to announce the launch of the Change Style Indicator^® Second Edition (CSI™ 2), our successor to a trusted tool backed by decades of research and psychometric evidence to help organizations navigate the human side of change.

The CSI 2 assesses how people prefer to approach change. It defines an individual’s change preference along a continuum, ranging from a preference for gradual to radical change, and assigns them one of three primary change style preferences:

Conservers value stability and tend to prefer gradual and incremental change.
Pragmatists are practical and flexible in their approach to change and prefer change that is functional, balancing novelty and tradition.
Originators are creative and innovative in their approach to change and prefer change that is fast and radical.

No change style is better or worse than the other; all are essential for an organization to operate successfully through change. The stability, detail-oriented nature, and commitment to factual data that Conservers bring to organizations help make sure that the details surrounding change are fully thought through. The Pragmatists’ balanced and collaborative tendencies ensure that changes result in practical outcomes. Where Originators are concerned, innovation and broad perspectives are a welcomed sight at organizations open to new and unconventional ideas.

Since the release of the first edition, the CSI has been widely adopted by organizations and coaches who value focusing on the human side of change management. The CSI 2 meets the evolving needs of its users, providing a comprehensive and effective tool for understanding and managing change within organizations.

What is new with the CSI 2?

The original CSI has a rich history of use, and over the last few years, valuable user feedback highlighted an opportunity to build upon a credibly sound framework. With a goal to maintain the quality and valued features of the previous version during its revisions, we also sought to build on customer input and incorporate the latest in change management research and methods to ensure a fair and equitable assessment. Notable CSI 2 highlights include:

Updated items that have undergone a thorough review by expert linguists to ensure the items are culturally sensitive, widely applicable, and suitable for translation.
A new normative sample, consisting of over 96,000 people representing six world regions (i.e., Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania, Northern America, and Latin America and the Caribbean).
Updated psychometric properties with evidence of strong reliability, validity, and fairness.
A modernized Individual Report that contains:

- Detailed insights into strengths, challenges, and areas of improvement for each change style.
- An Improving Collaboration page that provides valuable suggestions to help strengthen team behaviors and enhance collaboration during times of change.
- Insights on enhancing change leadership, with coaching tips to lead team members through change and communication tips for leaders to navigate working with different change styles.

A comprehensive user manual that covers all the information about the CSI 2 model, administration, scoring and interpretation, development, and psychometrics.
A series of self-paced training modules that equip users with all the information they need to administer and interpret CSI 2 results.

Key applications of the CSI 2 for organizational change

The CSI 2 is a versatile tool that can frame any conversation about change within an organization. Here are some key applications of the CSI 2:

Leadership Development. Equip leaders with actionable strategies to recognize and address diverse change styles within their teams, improving decision-making and adaptability.
Team Building. Enhance team dynamics by identifying individual and group preferences for gradual or radical change, fostering collaboration, and reducing resistance.
Organizational Transformation. Support seamless transitions during mergers, acquisitions, or cultural shifts by aligning strategies with team and organizational needs.
Conflict Resolution. Understand the emotional drivers of resistance to change and use CSI 2 insights to address potential conflicts constructively.
Training and Development Programs. Incorporate the CSI 2 into workshops and coaching sessions to build self-awareness, improve collaboration, and enhance overall team performance.
Strategic Decision-Making. Help senior leaders use change style data to design policies and initiatives that resonate with team and organizational preferences.

Whether it’s ensuring that change management communication plans align with the change preferences of employees, facilitating self-awareness about how people prefer to approach change, or helping leaders communicate changes effectively to their teams, the intuitive framework of the CSI 2 can be at the heart of any change discussion.

Visit our storefront page to learn more about the CSI 2.

Have more questions? Get in touch with a member of our team!