Frameworks for Change

In 1789 Benjamin Franklin wrote a letter lamenting that “…in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” I’d like to add a third certainty to his statement - change.?

We are in a constant state of change, both professionally and personally. We’ve recently watched our son and daughter-in-law change from being a couple to parents. I’m watching myself change into a besotted Nan! While we may have little or no choice about many of the changes we experience in our lives, we always have a choice about how we might navigate them.?

Last week I wrote about the power of fractal leadership. In the post I mentioned the importance of taking a fractal approach to change. Change becomes fractal when it is underpinned by the same commonly understood framework. The approach is such a gift to those we lead as they are able to engage with new content or expectations, using a familiar implementation process.

Design thinking is the implementation model that I use. Design thinking was originally used in product design but over the years have been used in social innovation education, public policy and health care. I use it as a framework for organisational change. My Te Whakaahua Framework has emerged after many iterations and a cultural narrative gifted to it by Wiremu Grey.

When an organisation consistently uses a common approach to change, such as Te Whakaahua Framework, it significantly decreases the amount of overwhelm felt by the people impacted by the change. People navigate change more successfully when they know what stage of the journey they are at and what to expect next.

It is not my intention in this post to unpack each stage of the model. I run Masterclasses that do this. I also use the Te Whakaahua Framework to underpin most of the workshops I facilitate. If you are interested in either of these things then check out this webpage for more details.?

We are certainly living in a rapidly changing world and there has never been a greater need for thoughtful leadership practices.