The purpose of using the Overton Window is to shift perceptions to promote acceptance and implementation. The Overton Window is a concept used to describe the range of ideas or policies considered acceptable to any audience at a given time. In the context of organisational change, the Overton Window can be a powerful tool for change agents seeking to move initiatives from the realm of the unthinkable to the broadly accepted - or even desired. Understanding how to work with and shift this window can accelerate both acceptance and successful implementation of change.
Hierarchy of Acceptance
The Overton Window consists of a hierarchy of several stages through which an idea may pass:
- Unthinkable, going against the established orthodoxy, untested and risky
- Radical and unorthodox – seeking how it could be applicable if given a chance, undertake a feasibility study and risk analysis
- Acceptable and tested, can see the benefits as well as mitigate against risks
- Sensible can see how it works and is practical
- Popular and shared across the organisation
- Becomes the established strategy
Application of the Overton Window to Organisational Change
Organisational change often meets resistance because new ideas may fall outside the current Overton Window of the company's culture, habits, or expectations. To facilitate acceptance and implementation, change agents can use strategies to gradually expand or shift the window.
Joseph Overton suggested the most effective way to do this was not to advocate for minor, incremental changes to an already accepted idea, but to make the case for a currently "unthinkable" idea, stating it clearly and provoking an informed discussion.
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