Is there such a thing as smooth and chaos-free change? We all know the answer: There isn’t.
Change, in organisations can cause havoc to the lives of everyone who is affected and frustration to the implementors. Too much to do and difficult to see an end to the situation. There is a phase in every change situation where no one really knows what they are doing. Despair, even panic is all around.
Change in people’s personal lives can affect them far longer than they themselves anticipate. Despair is multiplied as they feel they’re all alone in it. They weaken, lose their sense of identity and their self-esteem plunges.
A Useful Change Model
The visionary family therapist and American psychologist, Virginia Satir, developed a change model that described the process which families go through during therapy. These stages apply equally well to individuals and organisations.
First, there is resistance, then chaos. The status quo is not there anymore. Things are not working. Whatever the new system is, it’s not working yet. Nobody seems to know what they are doing or where its taking them. It is pure chaos. Whether in an organisation or at a personal level, the chaos phase of change seems to last forever with no improvement in sight. Everything feels slow because nobody understands what’s going on. Mistakes are made.
Things look worse than before and very complex. People feel like giving up. Coping with anything new and having to learn to work in new ways is hard and since there’s no evidence of succes yet, its difficult to convince anybody affected, including yourself that it will be worth it in the end.
If you have ever carried out a change initiative in your organisation, or been a participant in any change projecy or have experienced a life-changing event – these descriptions will resonate with you. The future is uncertain and the only reality is now, even if its bleak.
People cannot be blamed for asking:
“What’s the point?”
“Why should I even bother to try to move forward in life or my career?”
“Why should I try to improve my circumstances when I don’t think it will lead anywhere?”
We can embrace chaos when we accept that life is uncertain and that despite not knowing how things will turn out, we can take action. Certainly, we can stop over-thinking and analysing, stop mind-reading and stop trying to be a clairvoyant.
Vision Changes Things
Vision can magically provide relief as it creates purpose for the fight against chaos. It isn’t about restoring order – it’s about moving forward. Ultimately, there is order – and the outcome is the new status quo – which is always higher and better than the original status quo.
So is it a leap of faith when we take action to move forward in life, in a new career, a new relationship, a new business? A vision is in many ways just that, a leap of faith. It turns to reality when we make it work with action, when we erase any self-doubt or doubt per se.
We can’t control the chaos but we can change us. We change ourselves, our thoughts, feelings, behaviours and actions.
We don’t know what will happen tomorrow but we can work on the here and now. All we need to do is decide and take action. One action leads to another like a ripple in the water. We are led to new people, places, opportunities and learnings.
Have you heard about the parable of the caterpillar?
“Just when it thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.”
We too can be like the caterpillar and embrace chaos. It always leads to a far better outcome.
