Change is harder than it needs to be.
As human beings, we have a complex relationship with change. We know that to survive and thrive in a changing context we need to adapt. But change feels hard.
Guess what, we’ve embedded this complexity into our teams, businesses and organisations. Often, their structures, systems and cultures make change feel harder than it already is. Making change (and progress) further out of reach. As the world becomes more volatile, the challenge for leaders is clear: become better at change, and take advantage of the wealth of new opportunities that arise.
This post explores why the ways of working of organisations no longer serve us within this new context.
TENSION at the centre of this is the desire for scalability. the pursuit of scale (whether for profit or otherwise) has lead us to design organisations that are predictable. This ignores the fact that success in the future won’t come from the same place as success in the past. we’ve prioritise repeating patterns over growing, the result being we’re ill prepared for the future.
some examples.
all of this gives us the feeling of certainty and predictability that simply isn’t i touch with reality. it’s pretty counter productive.
organisations thrive on quantitative metrics and measurement - they feel straightforward, certain and easy to communicate and understand. This often gives us a fair picture of what’s happening, but not why it’s happening. We therefore lack a deeper understanding of the trends and currents that influence context in the future - which often rely on ‘softer’ data, qualitative understanding, or hypotheses.
The irony is that this data is creates the feeling of certainty and security that many crave, and feeds the delusion that we can prediuct the future with data (a delusion many have profited from). Our best bet is to shape insights with rich and diverse data - to make an educated guess, based on everything we learn.
for example…
measurements requires definitions - adding value judgements to scenarios. x is (more) good, y is (less good)
lack learnings
we rely on straighforward measurement that is easy to communicate and undererstand —> .. we don’t like nuance, and therefore we don’t learn lessons. instead, stories.
we on’t like nuance - we want a yes and a no
We elevate based on performance rather than potential. People are hiered and elevated within organisations based on their demonstrated success, rather than what is needed
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
we don’t have the skills for change.
