This is for Jen Frahm. A slightly more coherent response to a question she posed on her website about whether the pace of transformation in the change management world is sufficient. Essentially, do we need disruption to give it a kick into gear?
This is not quite a Grand Unification Theory that I was hoping for but hopefully it actually answers the question this time.
The answer is yes. We need disruption. We always need disruption. You see for me disruption is just another nuanced word for innovation. Or perhaps a rebellion against the status quo. Or even more edgy, a revolution.
“So you say you want a revolution,” as the Beatles would say. “Well, ya know, we all want to change the world.”
What does every good revolution need? Besides a theme song, history tells me every good revolution needs a manifesto, a utopian vision of how things should be, a utopian vision that fights against what isn’t working. Only then can you know what to do.
And every manifesto needs an agent provocateur to spread the word, to inflame the hearts and minds of the people. You are so right Jen when you say we can’t continue to come in and do tactical work and leave. What I call doing it to them and not with them. It doesn’t sustain.
We have to have what R.E.M. would call “A Disturbance at the Heron House.” We need to rile the locals up. We need permission to rile the locals up.
So who’s going to write this manifesto? You are. I am. The first secret change agent provocateur who reads this. We’re all going to have our own because we all have our own revolution to start. One spark can start a fire.
You light enough fires and people start to notice. Now we just need management to understand. And oh, they’ll notice.
Once More Unto the Change 
Brilliant : -) It’s funny, one of Gail Severini’s (Change Whisperer) recent posts was on the power of having thought partners to super charge your strategy. The online conversation around the original post has been so incredibly useful and powerful for me in clarifying a number of things. I am truly grateful to have you as a thought partner Joe!
Thanks, Jen. I’m glad to hear that. It’s exciting when you can have good dialog about a cool topic. You pose these questions I just can’t resist. Forces me to try and organize my thoughts. And that’s no easy task.
Joe, I confess this is pushy but hopefully in a good way … I need to subscribe to your blog. Love your ideas and the way you think – you make me think. I can’t find a field for email subscription (I only subscribe to a handful of blogs but these are the ones I want ‘pushed’ into my primary field of view). Can you point me in the right direction – or just sign me up? Gail
ps I don’t do RSS – never figured that out.
Gail, Here is how I handle the e-mail notification. Since you are on WordPress, go to your Admin page. Click on Blogs I follow. Find Once More Unto the Change. There should be an Edit link by it. You should see a SenD New Posts by E-mail option. The Off option should be checked. You can change this to Instantly, Daily or Weekly by clicking on it. Badda bing! You’re golden.