Change can be achieved through small actions in the present, rather than grand visions of the future. This approach, based on complexity science, is a departure from traditional change management strategies. It’s about stimulating and nurturing small changes, allowing them to coalesce into significant shifts. This method, dubbed ‘safe-to-fail’ experiments, is a way to test multiple approaches simultaneously, reducing risk and increasing the likelihood of finding effective solutions.
The ‘safe-to-fail’ approach is contrasted with the ‘fail-safe’ design, which seeks to predict and prevent all potential failures. The latter is often impractical in complex systems where outcomes are unpredictable. By contrast, the ‘safe-to-fail’ approach accepts that some experiments will not succeed, but their small scale minimises damage while maximising learning opportunities.
This approach also emphasises the importance of human interactions and relationships. Rather than imposing change from the top down, it promotes change from the bottom up, enabling individuals to contribute to the change process. It recognises that change is a complex, emergent property of human systems and encourages a flexible, adaptive response to the unexpected.
In conclusion, adopting a complexity science approach to change management can provide a more realistic, adaptable, and effective method for instigating change. The focus is on small, manageable actions in the present, rather than grand, uncertain visions of the future.
Go to source article: http://cognitive-edge.com/blog/change-through-small-actions-in-the-present/