To accept what is
Letting go of what is not
Like leaves in autumn
When was the last time you saw a tree argue with autumn? Nature offers us profound lessons about change – not as something to force or resist, but as a natural flow of letting go and becoming. In organizations, we often forget this wisdom, gripping tightly to “the way things are” even as the seasons of business shift around us.
The Nature of Organizational Change
Like a forest ecosystem, organizations are living systems that constantly adapt and evolve. But unlike trees that naturally shed their leaves when the time comes, organizations often need help recognizing and releasing what no longer serves them.
Signs of Natural Adaptation
When organizations are adapting well:
- Change flows through existing networks rather than being forced through hierarchy
- Old patterns and processes naturally fade as new ones emerge
- Innovation appears at the edges where current practice meets new needs
- Resistance provides valuable feedback rather than being seen as an obstacle
Just as nature moves through seasons, businesses that are adapting well have natural cycles of growth, consolidation, and renewal:
Growth
- Market expansion
- Talent acquisition
- New product development
Harvest
- Revenue realization
- Process optimization
- Knowledge capture
Rest
- Strategic planning
- Capability building
- Infrastructure updates
Signs of Blocked Adaptation
Watch for these signals that adaptation is stuck:
- Rigid adherence to outdated practices despite clear external (Market) and/or internal (Employee Engagement) signals
- Change initiatives that feel forced and rely heavily on mandates and compliance
- Persistent resistance patterns that aren’t being understood or examined
- Energy spent maintaining the status quo versus exploring possibilities
Three Practices for Natural Adaptation
1. The “Seasonal Audit”
Regularly assess your organization:
What needs to fall away?
- Legacy processes (measure: utilization rates, maintenance costs)
- Outdated structures (measure: decision latency, employee feedback)
- Redundant activities (measure: time spent, value delivered)
What’s ready to bloom?
- Emerging capabilities (measure: skill development, innovation metrics)
- Market opportunities (measure: pilot results, customer interest)
- New ways of working (measure: team effectiveness, engagement scores)
What needs nurturing?
- Strategic initiatives (measure: milestone achievement, resource adequacy)
- Team potential (measure: capability gaps, growth indicators)
- Cultural evolution (measure: behavior change, sentiment analysis)
2. The Energy Tracker
Notice where and how organizational energy flows (or gets blocked):
Sources of Energy
- What sparks enthusiasm?
- Where do people volunteer time?
- Which projects gain momentum easily?
Energy Drains
- Required activities with low engagement
- Processes that generate consistent complaints
- Initiatives requiring constant push from leadership
3. The Natural Experimenter
Work with rather than against system tendencies and business cycles:
Principles for Natural Change
- Start small
- Follow the energy
- Learn from resistance
- Amplify what works
A Story of Natural Change
I recently worked with an organization struggling to implement a major change initiative. Their breakthrough came when they stopped trying to force a preset solution and started paying attention to where change was already happening naturally. By amplifying these natural movements and removing obstacles, they achieved more in three months than they had in a year of forced change.
The Bigger Picture
Organizational adaptation isn’t just about managing or forcing change – it’s about:
- Working with natural system tendencies
- Building adaptive capacity
- Creating sustainable evolution patterns
- Fostering organizational resilience
- Making the energy cost of virtue less than that of sin
Measure What Matters
To track your organization’s adaptive capacity, measure stuff. “Analysis without numbers is only an opinion.”
Example key indicators include:
1. Adaptation Speed
- Time from signal to response
- Innovation cycle time
- Decision velocity
2. Change Effectiveness
- Adoption rates
- Sustainability of changes
- Return on change investment
3. System Health
- Employee engagement
- Customer satisfaction
- Operational efficiency
Remember: The goal isn’t to force change but to create conditions where beneficial change occurs naturally and efficiently. Be mindful of perverse incentives as you set up your key metrics.
Develop More Natural Adaptation Patterns (Read More)
- When Systems Dance: A Ponder on Organizational Change and Conflict – explores the dynamic nature of systems and change.
- Six Steps Towards Self Learning Teams and Organizations – describes a method for improving team learning and adaptability.
- Navigating Complexity aka Cynefin for Dummies – explains different contexts and how to respond to each for adaptive success.
Your Turn: An Adaptation Experiment
This week, try this: Instead of pushing for change, become a student of your organization’s natural adaptation patterns. Notice:
- Where is change already happening? (areas of natural, informal, spontaneous evolution)
- What’s naturally falling away? (areas of natural obsolescence, declining participation, decreasing effectiveness)
- Where is new growth emerging? (areas of increasing energy, emerging practices, innovation)
Then share your thoughts and experiences so we can learn together on working with, instead of against, patterns that support effective change. I’d love to hear your stories.