Change is good, right?

We’ve seen much change – and incredible advances – in everything from car manufacturing to cooking to medical treatment. So change is good, right?

Yes – and not always. As Ellen Glasgow well said: “All change is not growth, as all movement is not forward.”

When it comes to change, two equally foolish extremes should be avoided. On one side, we have advocates of change for the sake of change. These people evidently enjoy the challenge of change. Their credo is “Although we’ve been doing it this way for years and it's still working for us, it's time to change it!” Thinking that “change is always good,” they want to revamp an entire situation from top to bottom and stem to stern.

On the other side are the anti-change people. They stubbornly stick to the status quo even if major changes are obviously needed. They feel that all change is bad. Perhaps Albert Einstein had them in mind when he said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Therefore, when considering making changes, ask several important questions:

• Is the change really necessary?
• If so, what specifically needs changing?
• Is a major overhaul required or just a few minor tweaks here and there?
• Is a transformation needed, where mental models need to shift?
• Who will be most affected and therefore needs to be involved in designing the change?

Change can be chancy. Two choices of action exist. If it’s not broken, then don’t fix it, or if change is truly needed, then change it sensibly.

The solution, like with many things, generally lies somewhere in the middle of these two options.

Remember. . .

There is a difference between being reactive to changes and anticipating changes but in both cases you need to balance the costs and risks associated with change versus the benefits you can expect to gain.

Be smart about change!

Photo via Flickr by Paul Kruger