The Satir Model

APPLICATION
FOR BUSINESS &

CORPORATE COACHING
WWW.VIRGINIASATIR.CO.UK
Virginia Satir
Virginia Satir 1916 1988 is internationally
( - )

recognised for her approach to family therapy

and her systemic work such as family
reconstruction, that has also inspired Bert
Hellinger to create family business constellation
&

work, now widely known to coaches.

One of Satir s most novel ideas at the time, was

'

that the Presenting issue or Surface problem

' ' ' '

itself was seldom the real problem rather, how

;

people coped with the issue created the problem.

Satir also offered insights into the particular

problems that low self esteem could cause in
-

relationships, both in private life and at work.

Moreover, help in issues with leadership, team

work, motivation, executive charisma and
presence stem as the result of her work.
Virginia Satir
In the mid 1970s her work was extensively
-

studied by the co founders of Neuro linguistic

- -

programming NLP , Richard Bandler and John

( )

Grinder, who used it as one of the three

fundamental models of NLP.

The Virginia Satir Global Network, originally

named AVANTA by Satir, is an international
" "

organization that carries on her work and

promotes her approach to family therapy and
beyond.

Virginia is also known for creating the Change

Process Model, a psychological model
developed through clinical studies.

Change management and organizational gurus

of the 1990s and 2000s embraced this model to
define how change impacts organizations.

2
The Change Model
Change and improvement are always possible. This
is the underlying principle that the Model is based
on.

The Satir Change Model consists of 5 stages: status

quo, resistance, chaos, integration and new status
quo. It describes the effects of each stage on
feelings, thinking, performance and physiology.
(Figure 1 )

Figure1. The Impact of a change process on performance for a well

-

established team or individual 3

The Change Model
Stage 1. Status Quo

'Don t rock the boat is the motto of the old status

' '

quo. Consistency. Familiarity. Perceived stability.

Stable relationships give a sense of belonging and
identity. People know what to expect, how to react,
and how to behave.

Implicit and explicit rules underlie behavior. People

attach survival value to the rules, even if they are
harmful.

Often poor communication and negative feelings

become a new norm when an organisational
system becomes unbalanced. Members use
blaming, placating, and other incongruent
communication styles to cope with feelings like
anger and frustration. Stress may lead to physical
symptoms such as headaches and gastrointestinal
pain that create an unexplainable increase in
absenteeism. Other issues could be emotional and
mental burnout, depression, lack of focus.

4
The Change Model
Stage 2. Resistance

When a person or a team of people reach the wall

'

of problems , a foreign element emerges. This

'

change element rocks the boat , but encounters

' '

resistance from the rest of the team.

Most people deny the issue. That s the classic

'

'being in denial stage. The change element is

'

perceived negatively and is often regarded as

threatening and not appropriate for the team.

These blocking tactics are accompanied by

unconscious physical responses, such as frowning
and closed posture.

Resistance clogs awareness and conceals the

desires highlighted by the change element.

Members in this stage need help opening up,

becoming aware and conscious of their reactions.
This will help overcoming the reaction to deny,
avoid or blame.
5
The Change Model
Stage 3. Chaos

The person or group enter the unknown. Relationships

are under threat: Old expectations may no longer be
valid old reactions may cease to be effective and old
; ;

behaviors may not be possible.

The loss of belonging and identity triggers anxiousness

and vulnerability. On occasion, these feelings may set
off nervous disorders such as shaking, dizziness, tics,
and rashes. Members may behave uncharacteristically
as they revert to childhood survival rules.

Managers of groups experiencing chaos should plan for

group performance to plummet during this stage. Until
the members accept the foreign element, members form
only halfhearted relationships with each other. Chaos is
the period of erratic performance that mirrors the search
for a beneficial relationship to the foreign element.

All members in this stage need help focusing on their

feelings, acknowledging their fear, and using their
support systems. Management needs special help
avoiding any attempt to short circuit this stage with
magical solutions. The chaos stage is vital to the
transformation process. 6
The Change Model
Stage 4. Integration

The person or members of the group discover a

transforming idea that shows how the foreign
element can benefit them. It becomes exciting. New
relationships emerge that offer the opportunity for
identity and belonging. With practice, performance
improves rapidly.

Awareness of new possibilities enables authorship

of new rules that build functional reactions,
expectations, and behaviors. Members may feel
euphoric and invincible, as the transforming idea
may be so powerful that it becomes a panacea.

Members in this stage need more support than

might be first thought. They can become frustrated
when things fail to work perfectly the first time.
Although members feel good, they are also afraid
that any transformation might mysteriously
evaporate disconnecting them from their new
relationships and plunging them back into chaos.
The members need reassurance and help finding
new methods for coping with difficulties.
7
The Change Model
Stage 5. New Status Quo

If the change is well conceived and assimilated, the

group and its environment are in better accord and
performance stabilizes at a higher level than in the
Old Status Quo.

A healthy group is calm and alert. Members are

centered with more erect posture and deeper
breathing. They feel free to observe and
communicate what is really happening. A sense of
accomplishment and possibility permeates the
atmosphere.

In this stage, the members continue to need to feel

safe so they can practice. Everyone, manager and
members, needs to encourage each other to
continue exploring the imbalances between the
group and its environment so that there is less
resistance to change.

8
How to help
There are different activities you can do to help
your coaching clients and teams going through
change, in each stage.

Stage 1. Status Quo

Help question the norm, raise self confidence, find
-

their voice, flush out the negative feelings

Stage 2. Resistance
Help observe inner feelings and acknowledge
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inner resistance, mindful breathing, push through

-

the fear, walk together with them

Stage 3. Chaos
Help validate them, acknowledge it s a temporary
'

stage, assist in collecting the pieces of their puzzle

Stage 4. Integration
Help assist in synthesising information, making
decisions, following through, establishing new
relationships

Stage 5. New Status Quo

Help support them to feel safe to practice
8
Benefits
Here are some of the benefits and unique touch -

points of the Satir model when applied to business

and corporate coaching:
Transformational experiences that lead to
sustained improvements
Higher self esteem
-

Raised confidence
Increased creativity
Better relationships
Improved productivity and effectiveness
Increased work with passion
Found voice to say your truth
Sense of relief from childhood burdens
Alignment on different levels work home
( & )

Improved leadership skills

Enhanced communication
Trained cognitive abilities
Better performance
Clarity of focus
Enriched well being
-

Deeper understanding of the Self

9
References
Satir, V, et. al., 1991 The Satir Model: Family Therapy
( )

and Beyond, ISBN 0831400781, Science and Behavior

Books,

Smith, S, 2000 The Satir Model online article blog

( )

http: stevenmsmith.com ar satir change model

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McLendon, Jane 1999 The Satir System in Action.

( )

In Beyond Talk Therapy. Psybooks ID: 1999 02581 002 - -

Haitoglou, D. 2015 About Virginia Satir online article

( )

blog http: virginiasatir.co.uk 2015 10 21 virginia satir

// / / / / - /

“Virginia Satir. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.

”

Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., date last updated 16 Aug (

2016 . Web. Date accessed 20 Sept 2016 .

) ( )

<https: en.wikipedia.org wiki Virginia Satir

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