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The purpose of this paper is to provide a theoretical framework for understanding and formulating team intentional change.

Based on a critical review of existing theories of group development, gaps in the literature regarding how teams can and should develop, especially when the change is intentional and has a desired direction, are examined. A set of propositions is offered to address these aspects of group development that have been neglected by the literature.

A systematic and critical discussion of the core literature on group development showed: the complex and discontinuous nature of change in groups was neglected, because the group was not treated as a complex system; the literature has not dealt with group development processes when the change process is intentional (it has been descriptive of what occurs), nor has it examined which are key drivers of group change; existing literature on group development have predominantly seen negative emotion as catalytic to group development, and they have ignored the role of positive emotion. Therefore, drawing on positive psychology, complexity theory, small group research literatures, and Boyatzis' intentional change theory, a prescriptive theoretical framework for explaining intentional group change and development is offered and discussed.

A prescriptive model or theoretical framework with a set of hypotheses are proposed that explain intentional, and positive group development processes.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the process by which individual change occurs.

This conceptual paper presents the intentional change theory (ICT) perspective on the role of positive and negative emotion in individual level intentional change. Existing emotion research is reviewed to provide a framework for discussion.

ICT offers a new understanding on the role of positive and negative emotion in the process of intentional change. The positive emotional attractor (PEA) triggers constructive cognitive and physiological responses that enhance an individual's motivation, effort, optimism, flexibility, creative thinking, resilience and other adaptive behaviors. The negative emotional attractor (NEA) triggers another process by calling attention to current social and environmental stressors that may compromise an individual's effectiveness. While both emotional attractors play an important role in intentional change, it is critically important to leverage the beneficial effects of PEA arousal.

Through thorough understanding of the PEA and NEA coaching and other ways of helping adults change can be enhanced. ICT is currently used worldwide in MBA classrooms, executive education programs and executive coaching contexts. Research on the impact of positive and negative emotion in intentional change can enhance these practice applications.

To date, no one has conceptualized the PEA and NEA in this manner. This proposes an enhancement of the previously developed notions of the value of positive emotion and positivity.

Change, and in particular intentional or desired change, has not been understood nor systematically studied. By applying concepts from complexity theory to intentional change theory, the purpose of this paper is to provide a new level of insight into why and how sustainable desired change can occur at all levels of human/social interaction, from individual to teams to organizations to communities, countries and the globe.

Using research from over 30 years of longitudinal studies of individual and organizational change, the concepts are explored and implications proposed.

Sustainable, intentional change is on the whole discontinuous. It occurs through a series of five discoveries or emergence conditions. It is driven by the interplay of the positive and negative emotional attractor. It follows the described process at all fractals of human organization.

Extensive empirical research has been done at the individual level, but only case studies at the organization and country levels.

Every person seeking to explore, understand, or facilitate sustainable, desired change can be helped by the model and understanding how it functions.

The theory of intentional change is relatively new to the literature, as is the use of complexity theory.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the application of intentional change theory (ICT) at the organizational level through the lens of a case study.

This paper is a case study of Roadway Express, a leading transportation provider of industrial and commercial goods throughout North America, which embarked on a journey of cultural transformation in 1999, using a popular change process known as appreciative inquiry (AI). The Roadway case study illustrates both the theory of intentional change and the method of AI in use and provides a platform upon which to observe change at the organizational level.

Roadway Express serves as a solid benchmark for organizations considering how to succeed in cultural transformation. The implementation of the philosophy and methodology of appreciative inquiry, played a key role in that success. Analysis shows the link between ICT and AI. From this observation, ICT emerges as a stand‐along theory upon which to interpret the success of Roadway's organizational change efforts.

Drawing insight from the Roadway case study, ICT provides us with a comprehensive model for understanding how to approach and sustain change at the organizational level.

For the past three decades, most of the work using intentional change theory has focused on individual change. This paper presents a different view of the same theory, this time at the organizational level. This insight may be of interest to leaders, managers and change agents.

The aim of this paper is to link complexity theory to the intentional change process by examining the role of emotional attraction. A research study currently underway on intentional change theory (ICT) in a healthcare context is presented.

This paper uses the concept of “attractors” from complexity theory to suggest that emotion affects the process of intentional change in different ways dependent upon whether the emotion is positive or negative. Determination of the emotion in this way proposes the existence of either a positive emotional attractor (PEA) or a negative emotional attractor (NEA). The paper discusses positive psychology's perspective on the differential impacts of positive and negative emotion. The paper also outlines an ongoing research project at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center which examines the concept of PEA and its effect on diabetes self‐management as well as its consequent role in improved health.

A review of the literature and subsequent development of hypotheses and the conceptual model, indicate education for chronically ill adults must be purposeful and directed toward a self‐perceived need for personal change; include their own disease experience; allow them to become active participants in learning; and lastly, the learning process should be considerate of individual cognitive ability.

ICT could address the needs of chronically ill patients as its focus is a self‐directed journey to personal change and learning. The potential of ICT is enormous given that diabetes is a national problem that has reached epidemic proportions.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of the real self in intentional change.

Social science theory and research are used to respond to four primary questions: what is the real self, why is the real self essential to intentional change, how does one access the real self, and what are the challenges to accessing the real self with respect to intentional change?

The implications of this paper suggest scholars and practitioners should revisit the assumptions made in employee and leadership competency development efforts by seeking to draw upon a more comprehensive self of the individual being developed. Implications for further research show the need for a new direction in multisource feedback assessment research and use and empirical studies that understand the real self in relation to the other components of intentional change theory (ICT).

Implications for practice reveal a need to rethink how executive coaches and human resource professionals approach management and leadership development by expanding the view of the self.

This paper helps researchers and practitioners better understand what the real self's importance is to intentional change theory and discusses the obstacles and benefits of accessing the real self.

If the ideal self is the emotional driver of intentional change, the purpose of this paper is to explore the components of a person's personal vision and how it comes from their ideal self.

Based on the concept of the ideal self from intentional change theory, the paper examines a variety of theoretical foundations, from psychoanalytic to positive psychology. Each views the ideal self and its components as deficiencies needing therapeutic intervention or the heights of human experience and intrinsic motivation.

The ideal self is a primary source of positive affect and psychophysiological arousal helping provide the drive for intentional change. Many current frameworks or theories examine only portions of this model and, therefore, leave major components unaddressed. The ideal self is composed of three major components: an image of a desired future; hope (and its constituents, self‐efficacy and optimism); and a comprehensive sense of one's core identity (past strengths, traits, and other enduring dispositions).

Intentional change is hard work and often fails because of lack of sufficient drive and the proper intrinsic motivation for it. This model of the ideal self creates a comprehensive context within which a person (or at other fractals, a group or system) can formulate why they want to adapt, evolve, or maintain their current desired state.

The purpose of this research is to empirically examine the efficacy of setting multiple goals targeting complex competencies with a variety of time horizons pursued across a number of years. Most research conducted in the areas of goal setting examines an individual's ability to achieve a single goal targeting a simple skill or behavioral change within a short time period.

In this longitudinal study competency development is assessed over time periods ranging from nine months to four and half years and examined using both self‐reported change and behavior change demonstrated through critical incident interviews.

Progress over the study reveals that establishing learning goals is particularly important to the development of competencies. Subjects developed significantly more on competencies for which they set goals than on other competencies. They also demonstrated greater competency development when goals were remembered.

Subjects were studied during a specific life change event – completion of an MBA program. Their particular education environment was designed to support and encourage change. It undoubtedly contributed to their development during the study. Results therefore may not generalize to broader populations. However, the results reveal clear implications for management education in both academic and corporate education settings.

This study highlights important elements in the development process that when included enhance competency development and provide insight into the mechanisms underlying intentional change theory.

The research evaluates the complexity and difficulty involved in competency development. It provides empirical evidence to support goal setting and intentional change theories.

Better understanding the mechanisms through which individuals engage in sustainable change efforts has been an ongoing concern of both researchers and practitioners. While dyadic interactions with others can play a significant role in individual change efforts, the purpose of this article is to explore how the networks of relationships in which individuals are embedded are likely to impact their efforts to engage in sustainable change.

This article develops a conceptual framework and offers propositions regarding the suggested impact of bridging and bonding social capital on each of the discovery phases of the intentional change process.

Drawing on a variety of literatures, It is argued that the bridging and bonding forms of social capital may each significantly influence the intentional change process, but in different ways. Also provided is an example of how the intentional change process can, in turn, be utilized to build one's social capital.

While previous research on intentional change has alluded to the importance of relationships to individual change efforts, little attention has been paid to the role that social capital may play in facilitating the individual change process. Considering the role of social capital in individual change efforts may suggest new avenues of inquiry for researchers, as well as provide insight to practitioners interested in mechanisms to facilitate change at the individual level.

The purpose of this paper is to suggest that a key role of the professional US NFL head coach is as a sensemaker, sensegiver, and driver of intentional change.

Intentional change theory and sensemaking are used to explore NFL head coaches' roles as sense‐givers of intentional change during their pre‐game and post‐game press conferences.

This paper presents propositions that if substantiated demonstrate that examining professional head coaches' behavior during pre‐ and post‐game press conferences will yield insight into the coaches' skills as sensemakers, sensegivers, and agents of the intentional change process.

In addition to this paper being conceptual, not empirical, other limitations exist. There may be gender differences in coaching behavior; however, since there are no female NFL head coaches, gender‐related patterns can not be observed in this context. Since this study only addresses one sport, there may be differences in how coaches manage change in different sports. Future research will test these hypotheses empirically, distinguish these behaviors with respect to team performance, study different sports, and examine similarities and differences of male and female coaches in the same sport.

If the propositions in this paper are supported by future empirical work, this paper gives coaches (and those who evaluate them) additional insight into their behavior. It also will give another view into what makes for a successful coach.

While research inspired by athletic coaches influences organizational development research, few studies examine athletic coaches as organizational change agents. This paper conceptualizes coaches beyond their technical roles; it focuses on their sensegiving about the team's progress along the intentional change trajectory that they have set.