Foundations of Change

Doctors study medicine, attorneys study the law, and accountants study the tax code. To gain a better understanding of chemistry, economics, or linguistics, students learn the philosophies and theories that serve as the foundation of that discipline. Education forms the basis for effective decision making, and those who are destined to change the world or change an organization must diligently study the foundations associated with change.

There are several philosophies and concepts that form the foundation of change. A greater and broader understanding of these concepts allows one to better prepare for; learn about; and master how to change, when to change, what to change, and why to change. These concepts are:

• Change is remarkable yet destabilizing. Whether curing polio or establishing the Internet, change effects society.

• Change must be viewed as advantageous and to be welcomed. Change viewed as such will almost always be enthusiastically sought and promoted.

• Change favors those in control of their future. Those in control of their destiny are more likely to be the victors, not the victims, of change.

• Change favors those who can adapt to a different future. Those who can adapt to change are more likely to profit and overcome from its ramifications.

• In nearly every instance, change offers the chance for a better life. Fewer circumstances hold the promise of a better life than the ability to change the present.

Change is remarkable yet destabilizing

For all the great that has come from change, it is surprising—even astounding—that change is nearly universally rebutted, refuted, and resisted. Hundreds of millions were freed from the shackles of communism, tens of millions were freed from the oppressive regimes in Afghanistan and Iraq, and millions were freed from the totalitarian regimes in Libya and Tunisia. Generations were saved by the discoveries of penicillin and the polio vaccine, and the elderly live far healthier and more productive lives because of the advances in medicine and medical technology. Advances in technology have created untold opportunities for employment throughout the world, whether in India, China, South Africa, or Poland. Rarely in history have employment opportunities been as broad and plentiful for those choosing to sacrifice and work hard, have medical advances been as astonishing, and has freedom been as universally shared and enjoyed.

Too often, though, change is viewed through the prism of conflict and negativity. We do live in remarkable times, but we are encapsulated in a similarly destabilizing time. The military overthrow of the Egyptian government, the devastating rise in spending and fall in productivity in Greece, the corruption that pervades many countries on the African continent, and the sinking employment opportunities in the United States are prominent examples. We have witnessed millions lose their jobs through changing technology and communications, countless lose their health and retirement benefits through rampant cost-cutting as organizations try to compete with new entrants into the global marketplace, and thousands lose their homes through foreclosure as they are unable to pay their mortgage and other basic expenses. The old are unable to retire, while the young are unable to find jobs.

Such is the nature of change and its profound impact on the physical, emotional, and social lives of the world's inhabitants.

Simultaneously, morphing social mores are seen to undermine our faith in community and weaken the bonds within our family and friends. Divorce seems to be more commonplace, and single-parent families are becoming more the norm than the exception. Some of these circumstances did not exist decades ago, yet these events have become representative of the destructive repercussions of a changing world, symbolic of a fast-paced age that decimates the hopes and dreams of far too many. No matter the advances achieved, there are those left behind who lament a time more favorable, and its return more advantageous.

Like death and taxes, change is a certainty in life. However, over the past half century, change has progressed at a pace unrivaled in our history. Never before has change advanced so rapidly and continuously as it has during the second half of the twentieth century. The transition from an agrarian to industrial society occurred over a century, while the transition from laptops to tablets occurred, it seemed, over a few years. Cameras and Kodak film ruled the picture business for more than a century, yet the dominance of digital cameras lasted less than a decade before smartphones made carrying a camera unnecessary for many. State and city maps were a staple of the summer vacation for decades, a circumstance made irrelevant with the advent of handheld GPS devices. They generated millions annually, but their dominance lasted less than a decade as iPhones and Android phones offered free mobile applications similar to GPS devices. GPS device sales plummeted, and as the GPS device made handheld maps obsolete, so too shortly thereafter did iPhones and Android phones make the GPS device obsolete. Change forced the handheld GPS devices onto the scrap heap of technology, a place littered with once grand products.

Whereas the time frame for previous generations to relearn, retool, and retrain according to the new methods and technologies lasted years or even decades, the time frame for today's generation seems to be measured in months. This fact has led to a rising tide of insecurity and instability felt by so many today. This segment of the population mistakenly targets its anger at the negative consequences of change rather than its positive results such as better health care, a cleaner environment, and a recognition that fairness and equality should be hallmarks of a progressive society.

Though it bewilders some and invigorates others, we live in a remarkable era. Progress has cured many diseases and fed millions of people, and there is still more that can be done. Ironically, change is a greater force for stability than inability, and its welcome occurrence has led to a better standard of living, not worse, for most of the world's population.

Change must be viewed as advantageous and to be welcomed

The degree of acceptance or resistance to change is almost solely related to how much people perceive they will benefit from the change. Few resist a medication change that alleviates discomfort, a performance evaluation that results in a pay increase, the installation of airbags that drastically reduces injury and the risk of death in an accident, the generation of solar power that reduces our carbon footprint, or the passage of a new telecommuting policy that allows you to work from home. Few resist the change that results in a new car, free vacations, new promotions, higher salary, bigger homes, better...