10 conditions for transformational change
Nov 1st, 2010 by Chris
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It is becoming more and more obvious, particularly in Ireland, that ‘business as usual’ isn’t going to get us very far. So, what has to happen in a system for it transform and start to do ‘business as unusual’ ? ………
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Many people refer to Einstein’s dictum ‘You can’t solve a problem at the level at which it was created’ – but what is really involved if we are to move our conversations and actions to another level ? What qualities will be required of our leaders ? What are the fundamental changes that will be necessary in order for Ireland to move on, at a different level ?
‘The 10 Conditions for Transformational Change’ below are a distillation of respected work by academics and consultants working at a global level in commercial and public and not-for-profit environments. They offer an outline answer to the question ‘When transformation in a system happens, what is going on ?’
(This is something that I put together for a piece of work earlier this autumn that now feels like it should have a wider currency and use in current context)
10 Conditions for Transformational Change
Transformational change becomes progressively more possible when :
1. Individuals step up and take risks beyond the remit of their roles
2. Individuals are willing to be seen as unorthodox and challenge what has been taken for granted
3. More time is spent getting the questions right, rather than rushing to premature conclusions.
4. There is a spirit of collaborative inquiry, a taste for continuing questioning – individuals involved admit to not knowing, rather than pretending to know better than others
5. People have the openness to look at what matters most from diverse multiple perspectives, to listen deeply and to learn
6. Principles of personal integrity over-ride operational rules and hypocrisy is challenged
7. People unite and integrate ideas that had previously seemed to be irreconcilable
8. People see purpose in life beyond meeting their own needs
9. Leaders voice a motivating shared vision that emerges from the messiness, chaos and complexity of real life
10. CEO’s (and equivalents) create a culture in which change happens anywhere in a system – loose structures match mission and are flexible to adapt as necessary
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This is the stuff of workshops – it needs to be unpicked and applied in particular contexts, but hopefully it is at least a start.
If you would like to explore how it might be possible to encourage the potential for transformational change in your system, then please do get in touch.
(There is no shortage of work to be done.)
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The Change Exploratory supports leaders through coaching and mentoring and and also in the design and facilitation of great events and transformative change processes.
As the saying goes “there is nothing constant but change”. The problem occurs when we resist it, as is currently going on in many quarters. Like the Einstein quote you mentioned, it is our consciousness that must change first to bring everything onto a new level in which problems can be solved. However this really doesent seem to be happening at a political and economic level. The same old approach of “cut cut cut” and “we’re in charge so we know best” is being used.
We must look at the real causes of how we ended up where we are now.
In talking to a marketing/advertising CEO in the 1990’s in Ireland, I asked him “how do you motivate people to buy products?” He replied “that’s easy we motivate by fear, greed and insecurity”. And there in, in my mind lies the seeds of the fruit we are now reaping.
We must align ourselves with positive human values like integrity, trust, honesty, openess, loyalty and so on. In business we must sell with integrity and sell because it truly benefits our clients not because we can somehow manipulate them through fear, greed and insecurity.
It is now time to create businesses that sow the positive types of seeds in our societies.
This can be as simple as what Avoca Handweavers do in their Wicklow shop. There is a stand with newspapers on it with a bowl for payment. They leave it there for the customers to help themselves to a paper and pay for it and take their change. In other words they are saying to their customer – “we trust you”.
And this is a good place to start to change
Carpe Diem!
Sean M Kelly