Paradigms are Containers for Change
Copyright 2006 Marshall House
Paradigms are ubiquitous. They show up in conversations, books,
bedrooms, films, families, restaurants, professions, games,
sports, industries, and social systems of all types. Paradigms
fall within paradigms, overlap other paradigms, and bump into
still others. Paradigms are big or small, new or old,
comfortable or uncomfortable, familiar or unfamiliar, long-term
or short-lived. Paradigms are ever-changing.
Paradigm Defined
My understanding and appreciation of paradigms have been greatly
enhanced by Joel Barker's book, Future Edge. Even though this
book is out of print, it as a powerful contribution to the
business world, in my view. Barker defines a paradigm as "a set
of rules and regulations (written or unwritten) that does two
things: (1) it establishes or defines boundaries; and (2) it
tells you how to behave inside the boundaries in order to be
successful." A paradigm shift occurs when a change in the
mind-set occurs. New paradigms develop when old (or current)
paradigms no longer work. (Barker, Joel Arthur. Future Edge:
Discovering the New Paradigms of Success. New York: William
Morrow and Company, Inc., 1992).
The Energy Field of Paradigms
Reading the energy in a paradigm is an efficient way to
recognize its boundaries and density. Just as each person and
each organization has an energy field, so too, each paradigm has
an energy field. When paradigms conflict with each other, either
a change is occurring or a change must occur. Changes within one
paradigm do not occur in isolation -- all interrelated paradigms
change. We can observe the changes at all levels of the energy
field as well as in the concrete.
It is more accurate to consider that a group or organization has
many active paradigms than to define an organization as a single
paradigm. Paradigms grow, just as people do. Therefore,
paradigms may be immature, well-defined, aged, wise, silly,
useful, outdated, ready for death, or dead.
Paradigm Death Fear
We need not fear death -- any kind of death. When something
dies, we honor it most by celebrating its life and letting it
transform. Generally, those who are most invested in a paradigm
are the most fearful for a change in that paradigm. We might,
ask, "Who has the most to gain or lose with the current
paradigm?" And, "Who has the most to gain or lose with a
paradigm shift?" When we explore these questions deeply, we may
discover that what appears obvious initially may not hold true
with investigation.
Interestingly, paradigm shifters are often those who have the
least to gain or lose with a paradigm change. Paradigm shifters
are usually outsiders or those who are new to the system. They
have nothing invested in the old or current paradigm, which is
precisely why external consultants can impact a system as they
do (when they do).
Case Study: Ted
Ted is a senior manager in an investment firm. Ted reports to
one of the firm's five partners; six managers report to him. The
investment field is highly regulated, so we know immediately
that many legal and regulatory paradigms exist. When Ted went to
school he had to learn about the paradigms operating
academically and socially in each class.
Ted is expected to understand and solve problems using the rules
of the managing partners, his peer group, his team, his support
staff, his customers, and his suppliers. The rules that make him
successful with his subordinates are not the same rules that
make him successful with his boss.
Each organizational function (e.g., accounting, human resources,
sales, research, legal) all have various paradigms operating
which Ted must understand, at least to some extent, in order to
be successful when interacting. Some problems are solved by
going outside the established rules; other times, problems are
created by going outside the paradigm. He must know the
difference.
Your Paradigms
What are the paradigms in your life? Look as deeply as you wish,
noticing any resistance or other feelings you experience as you
respond to the following questions:
* Are the customs you grew up with still an integral part of
your life?
* How successful are you with people who are different from you?
* When you step into unfamiliar territory, how do you respond?
(Start with a general answer and then look at a specific recent
unfamiliar situation.)
* When the rules change within a paradigm, are you eager or
resistant for the change? (Again, look at the general, then the
specific.)
* In the most important paradigm of your life, how successful
are you?
* What paradigms do you wish to shift?