Change always sounds great in theory. But in practice? It’s often uncomfortable, irritating—and rarely sustainable. It’s not for lack of initiatives: agility programs, feedback training, New Work campaigns. And yet, there’s this sense that much of it simply fizzles out.
Why is that?
Because organizations don’t just “work differently” at the push of a button. They’re not rigid machines that can be modernized with a few clever methods. They’re living social systems—with patterns, routines and roles that didn’t emerge by accident. They exist for a reason. They create stability, provide orientation, and reduce complexity.
And that’s exactly the dilemma: The very things that make organizations strong—their ability to filter complexity and maintain stability—are also what makes real change so difficult. It’s like trying to rebuild the engine while driving the car. And you’re still behind the wheel.
Why We Prefer to Keep Things the Way They Are
Change isn’t just about doing new things. It’s about letting go of the old. And that is, psychologically speaking, a tall order. Many of the patterns we want to disrupt have a hidden function—even if they seem dysfunctional on the surface.
So, what holds us back?
- Need for security: Existing structures provide a sense of safety and predictability—especially in a world that already feels fast and uncertain. Change threatens that safety, consciously or not. And this applies not just individually, but collectively: a team that defines itself by efficiency will go to great lengths to avoid being told to “experiment” instead.
- Hidden loyalties: People stick to routines not just out of habit, but out of identity. It’s about belonging, pride, and personal investment. If you’ve spent years building or maintaining a particular system, you’re emotionally tied to it—and you’ll defend it, even against better judgment.
- Fear of losing control: Change challenges what we’ve considered “right” or “working.” To change, we must first admit we no longer have things under control—or that our old strategies no longer work. That’s tough on the ego. It threatens our sense of competence, our professional identity. And it hurts.
- Organizational self-defense: Systems have a way of neutralizing anything that disrupts them too much. Well-intentioned innovations, new role models, progressive ideas—many fail not because they’re bad, but because subtle immune responses kick in: delays, distractions, dilution. One client from a large corporation once said, “It’s like the company’s immune system kicks in.” A striking image—and painfully accurate.
And then New Work enters the scene, promising freedom, meaning, and self-actualization—only to sow confusion instead of clarity.
Because when everything suddenly becomes fluid, participatory, and purpose-driven—but no one knows who’s responsible for what—there is no transformation. Just disorientation. Freedom without direction isn’t empowerment. It’s a kind of unboundedness that overwhelms more than it liberates.
What Actually Helps – The Path to Real Change
Transformation doesn’t need hype. It needs clarity, courage—and a deep understanding of systems. Anyone serious about change must first understand how organizations truly function. That means being willing to face tensions, hold contradictions, and expose blind spots.
So here are five impulses for real change—beyond buzzwords and quick-fix philosophies:
- Resistance is not a problem—it’s valuable feedback
When people resist change, there’s usually a good reason. Resistance shows where the system is trying to preserve itself. It’s not stubbornness—it’s often a reflection of fear, open questions, or unspoken conflicts. Those who take resistance seriously can learn from it—instead of trying to bulldoze through. Sometimes, resistance is protecting something deeply essential.
- Don’t change everything—just the right things
Organizations don’t transform all at once. They shift where there’s friction. Where something no longer fits. Where tension becomes visible. That’s where it pays to look—and to act. Not with a watering can, but with surgical precision. Big reforms rarely move the needle. But a well-placed disruption? A new question, a role switch, an unusual experiment—and the willingness to let something new emerge from it—that can.
- Don’t resolve contradictions—learn to live with them
Security and flexibility. Efficiency and humanity. Control and trust. These aren’t either-or decisions. They’re both true, all the time. Organizations exist in fields of tension—and that’s exactly where their growth potential lies. Those who try to “moderate away” contradictions often miss the chance to make them productive.
- Language shapes reality—and change begins in conversation
How do we talk about work? About responsibility, failure, success? Which words are allowed—and which are off-limits? What narratives dominate, and which are silenced? Real change also means opening new linguistic spaces. Honest. Uncomfortable. Often far removed from sanitized management lingo. Sometimes it begins with a sentence no one dared to say before: “What we’re doing here doesn’t make sense anymore.”
- Change needs safe spaces—and clear roles
Freedom without structure is chaos. Self-organization without orientation leads to burnout. That’s why transformation needs more than inspiration. It needs support: in the form of clear expectations, reliable accountability, honest communication—and sometimes, protected “safe zones” where new things can be tested without immediate judgment.
Bottom Line: Not Everything Must Change—But Much Could Be More Real
Change doesn’t mean slapping a new label on old habits. It means looking your organization in the eye—especially the parts you’d rather not see. That’s where growth begins.
Not in the next keynote. Not in the trendiest workshop. But in the moment someone dares to ask: “Who or what benefits from everything staying exactly the same?”
Change isn’t a sprint. And it’s not another self-improvement project. It’s a process of collective awakening. And like any honest relationship, it begins with one brave look in the mirror.
