Ever Wondered about the Psychology behind Transformation?

Many articles start with the quote “Change is the only constant”. Having moved continents and stepped into my 19th house, I would say change has been on multivitamin pills in my life.

Every time we get out of the comfort zone and rake up the dormant normalcy, be it in our personal or professional lives, we come face to face with reality and the need to make decisions that matter. What adds value and what should I carry forward with me? How am I going to do it? These are the ripples on the layer and when you dig deeper the question one might have to ask to get to the root of it all is - Why am I doing this and why do I need to hold onto something?

If we as individuals need so much of pondering and courage to take the next step, imagine what it takes for businesses to recognize and lead change.

Did I just say recognize? I would say it again with a bold emphasis. Asking the ‘why’ 3 times can get you to a different answer. Let’s take an example.

Why do you have this process?

Answer 1: Because it has been in place for the last 30 years.

Why do you have this process?

Answer 2: Because everyone in the organization is used to it and we continue to do that and believe (or assume) everything is working fine so far.

Why do you have this process?

Answer 3: Hmm, pause…we don’t know why we do what we do as this was laid down 30 years ago and we haven't had the time or the thought to look into it.

The logical next question is why are we not changing a process for better relevance, resilience and efficiency? A business needs a visionary power to recognize that there is a need for change and courage to help everyone embrace the transformation with a clear understanding of the ‘why’ behind it. Transformation is a continuous process and it is an era of 'Change Leadership'.

A sentence “let go and rejoice” from a book on Indian philosophy stared at me as I was packing the carton of books.

With an exclamation and a question mark on my mind, I was wondering how rejoicing can become a logical consequence of letting go what we possess? My thoughts drifted to the amazing concept of subtractive transformation.

The researchers from University of Virginia conducted an experiment to improve a lego structure which was out of balance. Majority of the participants took to adding a lego brick rather than removing one which could have been the easiest way to stabilize and improve the structure.

This boils down to the question of why we as humans attribute addition as a synonym to improvement and shy away from subtracting something to improve the condition. This can be applied to every facet of our lives- minimalism, sustainable operations, fast fashion, clogged meeting schedules, another extra movement in my dance choreography and the list is endless. Imagine the processes and long-standing customizations in a company and how a subtractive transformation can help add efficiency and cumulatively enhance the experience of the people and the planet.

We are the most complex of beings and it takes great might and vision to recognize and lead change.

As I write one more sentence, I look at that one empty wall in my new home wondering if I must improve it by adding a work of art that I recently saw in a store that read “less is more” … ??