Adapting to Change and Complexity

CEBU, Philippines — The world can seem like a daunting, complicated place at times, especially considering the increasing complexity of people’s ways.

Many people easily trip off in bewilderment. They get dizzy amid cutting-edge technology, shifting markets, social media, globalization etc. In every area of life, changes are continually mounting.

In the face of complexity and change, shifting one’s mindset is the only way to cope and make the journey more fun and successful. The following tips will help get one started:

Ask different questions.

The questions you usually ask will get you the sort of answers you usually get, which is not so helpful when you need new ideas. For a twist, try asking a different question.

Most of us naturally ask questions that narrow and push to a solution. In complexity, being open to different possibilities is key. In a situation with lots of moving parts, narrowing is too likely to leave you attached to a solution that used to be reasonable but isn’t anymore.

Push yourself to ask questions like: “What is most surprising in this situation?” “What is at the edges of what seems possible today?” “What data am I ignoring because I don’t happen to like what they tell me?”

Different questions open you up to new possibilities and create a more flexible, agile mind-set.

Consider various perspectives.

People often think they have taken a wide variety of perspectives into consideration when really they have mostly just asked the other people whose ideas they already knew about. It’s natural habits with them to crave alignment and to work to convince those whose opinions really differ (or ignore them).

When one is dealing with a complex situation, each person’s perspective is too small – and a group that’s aligned with a single perspective is collectively missing important pieces. They need to get out of their own way.

This can be done by seeking out perspectives that are different and – here’s the key – not trying to convince anyone (especially oneself) that he is right.

One can tell if he’s not taking someone’s perspective into consideration if he thinks of the other fellow as a moron or not getting it; this means there’s no way to learn from the other person’s view.

Better to try holding back from forming an opinion and instead actively listen to the other person, all the other who seem so different. One shall keep asking himself: “In what ways could I be wrong or missing something?”

Try to see the bigger picture.

The human inclination is to pull things apart and solve the little bits one at a time. In complexity, the system is moving too fast and has too many interrelated parts to be used for a more comfortable approach towards lasting success.

It’s wise to imagine the bigger picture, to see if there are patterns. When one feels like bouncing back and forth between two details, instead of thinking of these as opposites, it’s better to see what balance one can strike between the two sides.

Experiment and learn.

When it’s time to act, a complex situation calls for a series of safe-to-fail experiments – little bets to use to nudge things in the desired direction. Instead of picking a final destination and trying to close the gaps, one shall try finding places for experimentation and learning.

For example, if one finds something not quite right about something, he must not quickly jump into changing the thing. It is wise to first figure out if it would be easier to try to change his view of the thing. Many things in life cannot be changed – but one can change his attitude towards those things.

Living in an increasingly complex world requires a whole new way of looking at the world and acting within it. But as one shifts his mindset, amazing things can happen. He doesn’t just get better at dealing with complex situations, he actually gets to enjoy the complexities and use these to his advantage. And in a world that’s getting more complex all the time, that’s a benefit. (www.fastcompany.com)