Navigating Change Management through the Lens of Fantasy: Lessons from Joe Abercrombie's First Law Series

In the realm of fantasy literature, few authors do a better job of capturing the grit, complexity, and change-ridden landscapes of their world than Joe Abercrombie, the author of the renowned "The First Law" series. The tumultuous world of his characters, their trials, and their adaptations offer an unusual but insightful lens through which we can examine our own world's concepts of change, particularly the discipline of change management.

At the center of the change management discipline lies the Prosci? ADKAR? model, a goal-oriented tool that allows businesses to focus on specific business results. The model outlines five stages of successful change: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement (ADKAR).

1. Awareness

In Abercrombie's "The Blade Itself," the character Logen Ninefingers articulates, "People, in his experience, usually failed. They panicked or were too slow or too quick or were stupid or unlucky or, most often, simply lacked the nerve." This sentiment encapsulates the first step of ADKAR – Awareness. Recognizing the need for change, its implications, and the risks of not changing is vital for any change management process.

2. Desire A quote often attributed to Abercrombie’s work, “Life is change. If you aren't growing and evolving, you're standing still, and the rest of the world is surging ahead,” serves to illustrate the second ADKAR element - Desire. Once aware, the individuals involved must possess the desire or motivation to support and participate in the change. It is this passion, often born from a fear of being left behind, that ignites the commitment to change.

3. Knowledge Next in the ADKAR model is Knowledge. To make the necessary changes, individuals need the knowledge and skills to understand how to change. This is vividly depicted in "Last Argument of Kings" when Jezal dan Luthar realizes, "You can never have too many knives, his father had told him. Unless they're pointed in your direction, and everything was definitely pointing in his direction." In this context, the 'knives' represent potential threats, suggesting that knowledge and understanding are crucial to successfully navigate changes.

4. Ability The fourth stage, Ability, refers to the practical implementation of the change. Knowledge must be applied to achieve the desired outcome. Across Abercrombie's works, characters continually show the power of applying their hard-earned knowledge to navigate their chaotic and changing world.

5. Reinforcement The final step in the ADKAR model is Reinforcement. To make the change sustainable over time, reinforcement strategies are essential. As Rikke, a character from "A Little Hatred," insightfully mentions, "People change. Love does not. That is what makes it so powerful." This sentiment reinforces the fact that stability, in the form of enduring values or systems, provides the structure necessary to solidify change.

In conclusion, though Joe Abercrombie's First Law series is a work of fantasy, its exploration of change, growth, and survival can give us significant insights into our real-world challenges. As professionals tasked with managing and leading change, the stories remind us that change is a universal narrative. We can overcome it by focusing on the awareness of the need to change, cultivating a desire for it, gaining the necessary knowledge, applying it practically, and finally reinforcing the change to ensure its longevity. In a sense, Abercrombie's work is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit amid change, a quality that lies at the heart of effective change management.

For a thrilling dive into Abercrombie's world that uniquely parallels our own, feel free to explore his works here.

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