3. A third assumption I make is that each individual will have a different reaction to the change, depending on a host of personal factors, including:
   • Her/his health
   • Other personal stressors
   • Other pre-existing work stressors
   • Her/his personality type and predisposition to change.
4. Fourth, I assume that the individual in this model is capable of applying critical thinking skills (and is willing to do so) to the process of change that she/he is experiencing.

A few observations

With limitations and assumptions now out of the way, let me proceed with a few comments on the nature of change, followed by my observations of not-for-profit organizations and this particular project. I want to then conclude with a model of change management from the perspective of the individual. This model, as you will see, is based on the literature review, and my experiences as a consultant, and as a fan and a victim of change.

The nature of change

It's difficult to imagine that anyone would contest that the rate of change in our society has steadily increased over the past 50 years. Obvious manifestations of these changes can be found in many aspects of our daily lives, including:

• Technology — the Internet, television, digital everything, cell phones, computers
• Information — whereas information used to be scarce, now we appear to have too much (according to several sources the amount of information in the world is doubling every six months; in the 1980s, production of junk mail in the United States grew 13 times faster than the American population)
• Transportation — consider that 400 years ago, Magellan needed two years to sail around the world; today a satellite can orbit the globe in one hour.

The cumulative effect of these accelerated environmental factors — and especially information overload — is anxiety, poor decision-making, reduced attention span and reduced information retention.

In my ten years of experience working with the public and not-for-profit sectors, the impact of external change factors has been significant. Changes in government funding, program delivery models, accountability expectations and use of technology have left many employees feeling overwhelmed.

The field of literacy in Ontario has certainly not been excluded from these external change factors. Since 1997, Literacy and Basic Skills programs have been undergoing significant changes as the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities moves towards full implementation of the Recognition of Adult Learning Strategy (RALS). Over the past five years, the emphasis has been on establishing and refining learning outcomes and learner assessments.