As a part of our new change framework the Change Journey (http://www.changejourney.org), we want to explain some of the theoretical background. This presentation is about the topic of complexity in organizational change.

1. The Change Journey Map Background Part 1 Complexity

2. We all carry images of organizations in our mind. Most of us still believe an organization is a machine. please watch the following video clip…

3. The reality is different. Organizations are complex social systems. (from: zeno on Flickr)

4. What makes an organization a complex system? All people have individual concerns, purposes, and circumstances. All people in an organization make many unsupervised decisions, every day. All people in an organization are connected in different ways to other people within and without the organization. There is a close to infinite number of external and internal influence factors that shape the destiny of the organization. Social systems have a strong urge to protect their integrity.

5. 1. All people have individual concerns, purposes, and circumstances. Before you continue, please read more about this model of human needs of Manfred Max-Neefhere. Subsistence Freedom from Want (Income/Livelihood) Protection Freedom from Fear andAbuse (Ground Rules) Identity Freedom To BeProud of Yourself(Self-Esteem) Affection Freedom fromRejection (Dignity/Teamwork) Creation Freedom to Create YourOwn Future (New Ideas) Freedom Freedom fromCoercion (Autonomy) Understanding Freedom fromUncertainty (Information Access) Leisure Freedom fromExhaustion (Stress Reduction) Participation Freedom fromExclusion (Inclusivity)

7. How many decisions of my staff can I control?

8. How accurate can I predict the compounded effect of those decisions?

9. What is, honestly, the expectancy range of what will happen tomorrow, the day after, and beyond?Before you continue, please read more about decision making in uncertain times here

10. 3. All people in an organization are connected in different ways image from: Delta7

12. in your community

13. in the local economy

14. in the international economy

15. in politics

16. in families of your organization’s members

17. in your brain

18. …Each of these happenings add to uncertainty. No computer can calculate the effect of these compounding influence factors.

19. 5. Social systems have a strong urge to protect their integrity An organization can be compared with a cell. The main purpose of the cell is to survive and to reproduce. HumbertoMaturana and Francisco Varela called these self-protecting and self-generating behavior “autopoiesis”. Any organization tries to make sure that it is not corrupted, which can easily happen in a change process. This is often felt as “change resistance”, but it is a natural behavior. Here is some reading for you to do before you proceed: Autopoiesis(Wikipedia)Autopoeisis in the business organization (PDF) Autopoiesis in virtual organizations (PDF)

20. How to deal with complexity in organizations? Source: Cognitive Edge Most change processes aresituated in the left quadrant (complex), few are in the knowable sphere, some are in the chaos sphere and none are in the known sphere. This is why the effect of an intervention into a system cannot be predicted. The quicker we accept that, the easier we can find strategies to cope with it.

21. The Change Journey Map is a Tool for Dealing with Complex Change Read More: The Change Journey