Revolution vs. Evolution

Futurist Chet W. Sisk

The word revolution has been associated with political mass movements and the changing of governments, but it also can apply to our personal lives. We often say we want a revolution in our eating habits, exercise routine, or even our relationships. I suspect that many of you may not necessarily mean a revolution in your actions. You may be thinking about something else that may be more in keeping with what you really want… an evolution.

Let me share the differences:

A revolution, like the hands on the face of a clock, is simply the full journey of those hands around that clock. That makes a revolution. So if you’re thinking of a revolution, you’re thinking of change, but change is regulated by the constraints of the clock. Nothing new is really introduced...just the hands on the clock have simply changed places. It’s also true that those same hands will return to the point that they started. In a sense, in a revolution, you really don’t go anywhere. If that is your desire, then yes, you are correct in seeking a revolutionary act.

But when you speak of evolution, you’re talking about a different beast. An evolution involves not only moving beyond the constraints imposed by the clock, but you’re talking about evolving into something else, perhaps richer, deeper, and more profound. It is the next step beyond what you’ve done into something new, fresh, and perhaps innovative. In other words, you have evolved.

As I continue to speak with company heads looking for talent, they often ask for evolutionary thinking…that is, people who not only think outside of the constraints of a box, but people who cut the tether to the box so that the box no longer holds them back. We now have the power to re-imagine the future.

In a world seeking innovative problem solvers in a new technological and social terrain, it’s the evolutionary that will command our attention.