Crisis-driven change

Why does change always have to be crisis-driven?

Is this simply another way of saying necessity is the mother of change? That necessity is driven primarily by crisis? Because we simply don’t feel a necessity unless it is actually hurting us? Is the average human society – the mob brain, the group denial, the short sightedness of crowds – fundamentally incapable of responding to what it intellectually know is coming, and so doomed to respond only when it has become an immediate hurt?

Is it possible to change ahead of the curve? Individuals and groups have shown this to be possible of course. But will we ever achieve such foresight in a sufficiently influential extent?

Sparked by The Designful Company: How to build a culture of nonstop innovation by Marty Neumeier.

Other drivers of change:

• Need
• Inspiration
• Revolutionary ideas/ideals

Can you think of any more?

3 comments on “Crisis-driven change”

1. Andrew Lightheart @alightheart said:
   

   I’ve been reading quite a bit about systems thinking recently (particularly Peter Senge’s Fifth Discipline work) and he describes how it seems we are built to respond to sudden threat, but gradual change doesn’t spark the same response.

   Thus – getting fat, global warming, growing debt…

   Increments go unnoticed, whilst sudden changes stand out.

   Maybe we just need much more consciousness to attend to the gradual?

   
   28 June 2009 at 7:39 pm
2. Kara said:
   

   Thank you for mentioning Marty Neumeier in your post. I work for Peachpit Press and thought you and your readers would like to know that he just released his very first video, INNOVATION WORKSHOP: Brand Strategy + Design Thinking = Transformation.

   The 45-minute video presents concepts from his bestselling “whiteboard” books – THE BRAND GAP, ZAG, and THE DESIGNFUL COMPANY – plus downloadable exercises that will help you and your team work through brand innovation questions. Overall, this video expands to fill a one-day workshop (an $800 value!) for an extremely affordable price. Check it out below:

   http://su.pr/2iE1k5

   
   18 July 2009 at 5:33 am
3. Zern said:
   

   Thanks for sharing Kara.

   
   20 July 2009 at 3:10 pm

Leave a Comment

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail