Recently I took a walk through a nearby field and I witnessed two contrasting scenes that capture the challenge many of us face as leaders, team members, or even folks participating in family rituals around Thanksgiving. To my west, a murmuration of starlings moved through the sky as one fluid organism, thousands of birds instinctively knowing how to maintain perfect harmony in motion. To the east, a murder of crows raised a raucous chaos. Two very different dynamics. Two metaphors for organizational change and conflict.
Don’t be too quick to judge which scene is “better.” While the starlings’ fluid motion is beautiful to behold, those argumentative crows are equally worth our attention. Their raucous conflict is data about their system – perhaps about territory, resources, or hierarchy. The noise and chaos isn’t inherently good or bad – it’s information waiting to be understood. (Shout out to Mike Cadell for the reminder “It’s data.”)
As leaders (whether by title or influence), we often face similar scenarios. When we see fluid collaboration like those starlings, we celebrate it. When we encounter conflict like those crows, we might instinctively try to quiet the chaos. But what if instead of jumping to fix it, we first tried to understand what the system is telling us?
You’ve likely heard “Individuals and interactions over processes and tools” so many times it might have lost its punch. But imagine those starlings – each bird moving independently yet remaining perfectly attuned to the whole. Then consider those crows – each one clearly expressing its position and boundaries. Both patterns tell us something valuable about the system at work.
When was the last time your team achieved that starling-like flow? What conditions made it possible? And equally important – when was the last time your team engaged in crow-like debate? What did you learn from it?
Two Formulas for Understanding Organizational Change and Conflict
Lewin’s Equation
There’s an elegant formula that transformed how I think about leadership as well as conflict – Lewin’s equation: B = f(P, E). In plain English: Behavior (B) is a function of both the person (P) and their environment (E). Or, as W. Edwards Deming put it bluntly “A bad system will beat a good person every time.”
Think about how this plays out in your team. The same person who vigorously debates in one meeting might remain silent in another. The difference? Often it’s the environment – the meeting structure, the power dynamics, the level of psychological safety. Our greatest leverage as humans in a system with other humans isn’t in changing the people – it’s in shaping the environment where both harmony and healthy conflict can emerge.
Beckhard-Harris Formula
Let me share another formula that’s helped me navigate countless changes (I know, I know – another formula, maths, but stick with me): The Beckhard-Harris formula for change: C = D × V × F > R
Change (C) can happen when the product of D, V, and F is greater than the resistance, R. (More on D,V, and F in a moment.) Sometimes we need starling-like coordination to move forward; other times we need crow-like conflict to surface important concerns. If any factor is zero… well… do the math.
As a leader or a team member, you’ve got opportunities to influence each variable:
Dissatisfaction (D) with the Current State
Sometimes people feel dissatisfaction but don’t express it. Think of it as potential energy – it’s there, but it needs a path to become kinetic. Your role isn’t to create dissatisfaction (trust me, if things need changing, it exists), but to help make it safe to express and explore it constructively.
Like those crows, people need space to voice their concerns. Sometimes it gets noisy. That’s okay – that noise is data about what matters to your team.
Vision (V) of a Better Future
Here’s a place where many leaders (including past-me) get it wrong – we think we need to have the vision all figured out. But what if instead of presenting the vision, we created space for it to emerge from collective wisdom – including the disagreements about where we should go?
Think about those starlings again – they don’t have a designated “direction setter.” Their fluid movement emerges from each bird responding to its immediate neighbors while maintaining a shared sense of direction. Even the crows, for all their arguing, are engaged in the important work of establishing how they’ll occupy their shared space.
First Steps (F) that Feel Possible
The path forward needs to feel doable. I love asking teams, “What’s the smallest thing we could try that might make a difference?” Some experiments will flow smoothly; others will surface conflicts that need attention. Both outcomes give us valuable information.
Responding to Resistance (R)
This is where your leadership matters. Resistance is a signal… often based on fear of change to the status quo. You can reduce the cost and risk of trying new approaches. Consider:
- How can you make it safer both to experiment and to raise concerns?
- What might this resistance be telling you about the system?
- How can you help people find their own agency in the change?
Your Leadership Laboratory
Here’s something I learned the hard way – you’re not just managing the present, you’re actively shaping the evolution of your system. Think of yourself as a scientist studying both the fluid motion of starlings and the territorial disputes of crows. Both patterns have something to teach us.
The key is starting small. Rather than pushing for wholesale transformation, try running micro-experiments. What’s the smallest change you could test this week? How will you know if the resulting pattern – whether harmonious or conflictual – is telling you something important about your system?
Let’s Talk about Organizational Change and Conflict
Reading about organizational patterns is one thing; navigating them in real-time is another. I’ve spent years experimenting with these ideas in all kinds of systems, and I’m always eager to compare notes with others in the field.
What patterns are you seeing in your system? I’d love to hear your stories. Often a fresh perspective helps surface new possibilities in familiar places.
Share your thoughts on organizational change and conflict in the comments below or schedule a chat. Together we can cultivate workplace environments where both harmony and healthy conflict help build a better world.
