Hidden Commitments Map

Purpose

This approach, developed by Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey at Harvard, explains why intelligent, motivated people fail to change even when they want to. The method maps a four-column "immunity map" that reveals: (1) what you want to change, (2) what you do instead, (3) the hidden competing commitment behind the resistance, and (4) the big assumption that holds everything in place. By making this system visible, individuals and teams can begin to test and overcome their immunity.

At a glance

How to run

1. Column 1: Commitment (10 min). Each person writes: "I am committed to [improvement goal]." This should be a genuine, important change they want to make.
2. Column 2: Doing/Not Doing Instead (10 min). List the behaviors that work against the commitment. Be honest: "Instead of delegating, I take on every project myself."
3. Column 3: Hidden Competing Commitment (15 min). For each behavior in Column 2, ask: "What worry or fear drives this behavior?" Then flip it: "I am also committed to [the thing the worry protects]." Example: "I am committed to never being seen as incompetent."
4. Column 4: Big Assumption (10 min). What assumption makes the competing commitment feel non-negotiable? "I assume that if I delegate and someone fails, I will be held responsible and judged."
5. Design a test (15 min). Create a small, safe experiment to test the Big Assumption. Not a heroic leap — a modest, reversible action that generates data. "This week I will delegate one small task and observe what happens."

Materials needed

• Four-column immunity map template per person
• Pens
• Quiet space for individual reflection
• Timer

Pitfalls & common mistakes

• Staying at the surface in Column 3. The hidden competing commitment must feel genuinely scary to name. If it feels comfortable, dig deeper.
• Trying to eliminate the competing commitment. The goal is not to destroy it but to loosen its grip by testing the Big Assumption.
• Big Assumption too abstract. It should be a testable belief, not a philosophy. "I assume people will judge me" is testable. "Life is hard" is not.
• Skipping the test. The map without a test is interesting but does not produce change.

Inclusion & accessibility

• The method requires vulnerability. Create psychological safety before starting.
• Allow individual work before sharing — not everyone processes in public.
• Sharing is optional; the map is valuable even if kept private.
• Use plain language for the columns; avoid academic framing.

Variations

• Team immunity map: The team maps its collective immunity to a shared change goal.
• Organizational immunity: Leadership maps the organization's immunity to strategic change.
• Coaching series: Use the map as a 6-session coaching engagement with progressive assumption testing.

When NOT to use this

• When the change barrier is genuinely structural (lack of budget, policy constraint) and not psychological.
• When trust is too low for vulnerability about fears and competing commitments.
• When there is no follow-up mechanism for testing assumptions.

Source & further reading

• Kegan, R. & Lahey, L. L. (2009). *Immunity to Change: How to Overcome It and Unlock the Potential in Yourself and Your Organization*. Harvard Business Press.
• Kegan, R. & Lahey, L. L. (2001). "The Real Reason People Won't Change." *Harvard Business Review*, Nov.
• Kegan, R. & Lahey, L. L. (2016). *An Everyone Culture: Becoming a Deliberately Developmental Organization*. Harvard Business Review Press.