Welcome to your new reality: change is changing. By that, I mean change is no longer static; change has become fluid. You can no longer change to a new state and stay there. Change not only creates a new state, it also creates the need for more change. That fundamentally alters the basis for how we address change itself. Change is no longer a one and done thing on its own; change is a recurring thing that is a part of almost everything we do. We need to quickly change so we can get through the current change and be prepared for the next change. Not changing simply to be different; rather, changing to be better suited to thrive. That’s a process called adaptation. It can be a transformative adaptation or a sustaining adaption, yet either way it is an active process of becoming better fit to survive and grow.
The reason this is true is because the pace of change is accelerating. We see symptoms of this all around us, yet all too often we ignore the signals. As a result, we continue to accept and apply the old well-worn treatments of change that no longer work universally; those treatments simply don’t get to results soon enough and eventually change becomes churn. We start a change, but it takes too long to complete so we attempt to start another change before the current change is finishing. This means we’re continually disrupted by the next change, without really changing or getting the benefit of changing. Rather than accepting a path where change becomes disruptive churn, we need to seek a different path; a different operating model that provides a new path that captures each change directly and makes it work for us.
This new operating model needs to embody an adaptive change system. In that way, we can individually and collectively deal more effectively with the pace of change, even as it continues to come at us with an accelerating rate. Since this new operating model takes a change in thinking to execute, as well as a change in practices, I’m writing a white paper with some colleagues on it. It the meantime, this post is intended to get you thinking about what it means to us that change is changing.