Systems Resist, But People Change Them—One Act at a Time

Change is a process. And like any process, it happens at the individual level first.

One of the most profound insights I’ve gained—both in organizational change management and in my own personal journey—is that nothing happens in isolation.

I used to think of challenges as isolated events—things happened, and we reacted. But therapy, particularly family systems theory, showed me that behaviors, struggles, and conflicts are never random. They emerge from interwoven relationships, past patterns, and invisible structures that shape our actions—often without us realizing it.

This realization completely shifted the way I understood the world. The same way family dynamics are shaped by patterns we may not even recognize, our organizations, industries, and societies operate within systems that reinforce certain outcomes—often without conscious intent.

This is where systems thinking becomes essential.

When I completed PROSCI’s change management certification, the ADKAR model reinforced a key truth:

✅ Change starts with individuals—but it doesn’t stay there.

✅ It ripples outward—affecting teams, organizations, and eventually entire cultures.

We’ve seen this dynamic play out over the past five years in major societal shifts:

• Economic Disruptions, the Value of Work, and Labor Shifts – The pandemic not only exposed the fragility of global supply chains but also reshaped our understanding of labor and economic interdependence. From essential workers being undervalued to the rise of remote and hybrid work, we saw a reckoning with how work is structured, who benefits from it, and what fair compensation and protections should look like. The Great Resignation, unionization movements, and debates over automation and AI-driven job displacement have all highlighted a deeper question: How do we redefine the value of work in a rapidly changing economy?
• Social Movements & DEI – The rise of DEI programs brought long-overdue discussions about workplace equity, systemic barriers, and representation in leadership. While these efforts faced backlash, they also expanded public consciousness, shifting how organizations and individuals understand privilege, bias, and the power dynamics that shape opportunity.
• Sustainability & Climate Action – Climate change has moved from a distant concern to an immediate crisis, forcing industries to rethink energy consumption, carbon footprints, and sustainable development. Businesses, governments, and communities have grappled with balancing short-term economic pressures with the urgent need for long-term environmental responsibility.

Now, we’re in the backlash phase—the moment when systems fight to preserve themselves.

In ADKAR terms, we are experiencing regression—not just a retreat from the “Ability” stage (practicing change), but even from “Desire” (wanting change). Instead of asking how to solve systemic problems, we are seeing some question whether those problems ever existed at all.

Did these issues really exist? Was change necessary?

This kind of backlash can feel like failure. But if history—and systems thinking—has taught us anything, it’s that resistance is not a sign that change is failing. It’s a sign that change was real enough to provoke a reaction.

Just like in family systems, organizational structures, or societal change, progress is never linear. A system will always push back against disruption—but that doesn’t mean the shift didn't have an impact. The fact that there is pushback, means it already has.

This is why systems thinking, and new models of leadership are so critical right now. They help us move beyond surface-level debates and towards a deeper understanding of how interdependence, resistance, and collective action shape our future.

The question isn’t just whether we can sustain change. It’s whether we can see the system clearly enough to keep moving forward—even when the backlash comes.

The Small and the Mighty: How Individual Change Sparks Cultural Shifts

In The Small and the Mighty, Sharon McMahon tells the stories of ordinary individuals who unknowingly changed history—not through grand gestures, but by acting with integrity in their own lives.

They didn’t set out to change the world. They simply did what they believed was right—and over time, their actions rippled outward to shift communities, reshape public perception, and redefine what was possible.

This mirrors the process of cultural change that we are living through right now.

We tend to assume that change happens top-down—through governments, corporate policies, or institutional reform. But real change almost always begins bottom-up—with individuals questioning the status quo, shifting behaviors, and influencing those around them.

A great example of this is Malcolm Gladwell’s exploration of Will & Grace.

Before marriage equality was legally recognized, cultural perceptions of LGBTQ+ relationships needed to shift. Will & Grace—while not overtly political—made those relationships visible and normal in the public eye. By the time laws changed, the cultural groundwork had already been laid.

Art has always been a catalyst for cultural change. We saw this recently in Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl performance—a prime example in using mainstream platforms to disrupt narratives and challenge systemic amnesia.

The Role of Art in Shaping Consciousness: Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Statement

Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show was more than a performance—it was a cultural mirror, reflecting where we stand in 2025.

While most Super Bowl acts lean into nostalgia and commercial-friendly spectacle, Lamar deliberately subverted expectations. Instead of offering a unifying, feel-good anthem, he demanded engagement, challenged narratives, and injected critical thought into the biggest stage in American entertainment.

• His Uncle Sam imagery openly questioned the mythology of American exceptionalism.
• His HBCU step formations and gang-coded dance motifs layered historical and contemporary realities of Black identity, resilience, and struggle.
• His lyrical choices leaned into themes of protest, resistance, and reckoning—delivered with the urgency of an artist unwilling to soften his message for mass approval.

His set was not designed for comfort. It was designed to provoke and challenge—but with a level of precision that allowed him to broadcast this critique in front of a sitting president actively rolling back recent progress.

This is the power of art and storytelling in cultural change.

Just as Will & Grace reshaped public consciousness around LGBTQ+ relationships—making once-controversial identities visible and normalized—Lamar’s performance reinforced a new cultural vocabulary. One that refuses to erase, dilute, or sidestep the realities of systemic injustice—even in the most traditionally apolitical spaces.

And that brings us back to the moment we are in now.

Even as we see resistance to DEI programs, book bans, and corporate backpedaling on commitments to equity and climate action, the awareness seeded over in this generation cannot be erased.

The backlash itself is proof that these conversations mattered.

Where We Are Now: Backlash as a Sign of Progress

If systems of power weren’t feeling threatened, they wouldn’t resist change.

Right now, we are witnessing a coordinated effort to roll back hard-won progress—not because change has failed, but because it has already reshaped public consciousness in ways that cannot be easily undone.

• Rewriting the Narrative on Labor & Economic Justice – Conversations about fair wages, worker protections, and the value of labor have led to record-breaking union efforts and worker strikes. Yet, we now see corporations pushing back—automating jobs, resisting union negotiations, and reasserting control over labor markets to maintain traditional power structures. The tension isn’t a sign that these conversations were futile, but that they struck a nerve.
• The Pullback on DEI & Social Progress – After years of investment in DEI initiatives, many companies are scaling back, citing “controversy” or shifting focus to more neutral language like “belonging.” Some organizations have disbanded DEI roles entirely, not because the work was ineffective, but because it disrupted the status quo. The backlash against equity efforts isn’t an indication of failure—it’s a sign that the conversation had real impact, making complacency impossible.
• Sustainability at a Crossroads – The momentum behind climate action has faced resistance from industries clinging to short-term profit models. Some governments and corporations have doubled down on fossil fuel expansion, deregulation, and greenwashing efforts. But the broader shift toward sustainability is already reshaping consumer behavior, policy expectations, and business strategy. The growing resistance is a reaction to the reality that climate action is no longer just an abstract concern—it’s an economic and social imperative.

But this isn’t failure. It’s the cycle of change in action.

The fact that these conversations were normalized enough to provoke a backlash means they were already shifting culture.

Even five years ago, many of these issues—fair wages, systemic inequities, sustainability—were still peripheral conversations. Today, they are embedded in our vocabulary. The shared awareness we now have about injustice, labor, and climate is something that cannot be unlearned.

And despite the resistance, many organizations, leaders, and individuals remain actively committed to driving meaningful progress.

Which leads us to the most important question:

So, What Now? The Power of Individual Action

If change begins at the individual level, then our greatest power is in what we choose to do next.

• Sustaining Conversations – Even as DEI initiatives face resistance, those of us who have learned and grown in these conversations carry that awareness forward. We don’t need permission to keep asking the right questions.
• Leading with Integrity – In our personal and professional lives, how we show up matters. Whether we advocate for equity in hiring, create psychologically safe spaces in teams, or mentor others, we shape culture in unseen ways.
• Telling New Stories – Just as Will & Grace and Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl performance helped shift cultural perceptions, our collective storytelling matters. The narratives we amplify today define what will be considered normal five years from now.

Hope in the Face of Resistance

If history teaches us anything, it’s this:

✅ Systems of power don’t change because it’s right—they change when enough individuals make change unavoidable.

✅ Awareness, once seeded, cannot be erased. Even as some try to move backward, we are not where we once were.

✅ Real change isn’t led by heroes—it’s built through small, daily choices that ripple outward.

As resistance rises, our task is not to retreat—it is to persist.

It is to:

• Act with integrity, even when no one is watching.
• Stay connected to communities that share vision and offer support and encouragement.
• Trust that what we do today will ripple outward—even if we can’t see it yet.

Because this is how real change happens.

#Leadership #ChangeManagement #CulturalShifts #Storytelling #Equity #ADKAR #SystemsThinking #KendrickLamar