Sources of Change

I spend a lot of time thinking about why organizations make strategic choices. Sometimes, their choices appear to emerge out of fear of not changing and becoming less relevant over time. On the other hand, some organizations make choices out of inspiration, a big idea, or a vision. Regardless of the source if the choice to change, isn’t it all the same and don’t these organizations simply end up in the same place?

I think the largest fallacy of strategic change is that fear promotes important change. Sure, it is great initial catalyst for change, but does it create long-term, sustainable change? The answer is no. Fear of failure, poor outcomes, or a declining value in the marketplace of ideas are poor motivators for healthy change. I’ve come to believe that organizations are just like people. They need to be inspired to make long-term and healthy choices.

We’ve got a lot of uncertainty in our education world right now. What we don’t need are a lot of fad diets reacting out of fear of failure. We need long-term strategic thinking by schools and colleges willing to be bold and inspirational.