Changing? Take a Pause!
You’ll probably recognise this: “We need to become more responsive for change, because we’re living in times of faster and more change. A VUCA world.” VUCA, disruption, transformation, adaptability, organizational agility, grow change capacity… we all know the words.
It’s a story we keep telling ourselves, because we feel the urgency - as organisations, leaders and change professionals. But… is that really the whole story?
I’ll admit, I often start my keynotes this way too. I talk about the importance of being able to adapt, about how the ‘future state’ does not exists and how we need to learn to embrace continuous transition. There are many real-life examples that support that message. I'll shared one in my previous post - The Future State Does Not Exist
Yes, the world around us is changing. Expectations are shifting. And internally, we often realise we’re not yet performing in a way that will help us reach our future goals. So we adjust the strategy. One change follows another, sometimes without leaving space to breathe.
And when we start noticing that the organisation is reaching its limits - when we realise we’re trying to push through too many changes at once, and people are losing enthusiasm for yet another new initiative - we try to manage the change portfolio more effectively. But honestly? That rarely means doing less or slowing down. It’s usually about reshuffling and re-prioritising, the pace and volume more or less stay the same.
And although I believe we can grow organizational change capability and change resilience, I also find myself wondering: Are we also doing this a little bit to ourselves?
We rarely allow the organisation - and our people - moments of pause. And that’s a risk.
Without time to consolidate, reflect, and anchor change, things could remain on the surface. The risk of change fatigue increases, and adoption drops. And that affects not only the transformation itself, but also the everyday work that needs to continue in the meantime.
How much motivation and capacity can you keep expecting from people, if you're constantly asking them to go to the limit and the experience of change becomes negative?
Change isn’t just about starting something new. It’s also about embedding it, making it part of who we are and what we do. And that also requires pause.
Pause means creating space to regain control (autonomy), to (become and) feel competent, connected, and successful. Some basic needs for a successful team.
So I ask:
Because without pause, there’s no rhythm. What helps you find the right rhythm for change?
Indeed, (continued) growth can only happen after consolidation and proof of the newly established baseline. Basics of hard science and psychology which are represented in every aspect of (organizational) reality. Just as in e.g. financial markets, organizational ability is based on people’s psychological behavior. Overreaching leads to correction or even a complete reversal of momentum (resistance). Every organization can build and grow when it is intune with the collective pace and abilities of its people.