One of the many things I enjoy about my city is the Improvised Shakespeare Company, which performs at the Denver Performing Arts Complex near my home. Every time, my wife and I end up amazed: The actors gather a random collection of audience suggestions and then spontaneously and collaboratively create a hilarious, one-of-a-kind Shakespearean play before our eyes.
I was reminded of their feat as I recently researched how leaders can help their organizations navigate change more smoothly. After all, we all know change is hard. With every change project, large or small, we struggle to adapt, especially as we face resistance from inside and outside the organization. But because change is essential for survival and growth, we launch the next initiative or implement the latest technology to keep pace with or stay ahead of disruption.
Related: How to Leverage the Power of Storytelling in Business Leadership
Change in organizations is often met with resistance due to several core features. First, there's the liability of success, where past success breeds complacency and a reluctance to adapt. This phenomenon, known as the Icarus Paradox, can lead to overconfidence, self-assurance and deadly inflexibility. An opposite reason rooted in a similar bias of complacency is escalating commitment. In this pitfall, we continue investing in strategies even though they are failing because of the significant........