Non-change agents
Posted on: November 12, 2014
When it comes to change and change agents, there has been a lot said and less done about actual change.
There are inspiring speakers; motivational posters and quotations; books, workshops, and courses; white papers and case studies; and enacted policies.
How about the non-change agents and what drives them?
There are the people in high places who are not informed. They are not driven by ignorance, but they might be held back by inertia.
There are the people who do not realize that they are retardants or barriers. Their view might be obscured by administrivia, policy, and the next group of people.
These are the people who relish their role as non-change agents. They are the incumbents who know the rules and shape the rules. They can hide behind these rules and bend them to suit the circumstances.
The good news is that there might only be as many aggressive non-change agents as there are passionate change agents. The bad news is that the non-change agents hold the higher ground in a militaristic sense.
How might change agents respond? They must:
- be aware who the non-change agents are and what they are held back by
- know or create the moral higher ground
- choose their battles
- fight together instead of going it alone
- recruit because there will be heavy attrition
They must keep at it like waves crashing on rocks. Eventually the water wears the rock down or shapes the coastline.
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