How Do Organisations Activate Change?
Change is the heartbeat of progress. Yet, in a world where transformation is critical for survival, many organisations struggle to successfully lead change initiatives and deliver lasting transformation.
Whether it’s navigating mergers, adopting new technologies, or driving cultural shifts, the odds often feel stacked against success. Here’s how to shift those odds in your favour.
The Challenge of Change
Across industries, change is most often activated through projects—carefully designed efforts to transform processes, cultures, or systems. Consider these examples:
- Mergers & Acquisitions: Cultural transformation projects aimed at fostering unity.But the data paints a grim picture. Research by Professor Bent Flyvbjerg, who studied over 16,000 projects, shows that only 0.5% of projects deliver on time, on budget, and on benefits. Similarly, 70% of change initiatives fail.
Why? Because change isn’t just a logistical challenge—it’s a human one.
Two Critical Levers for Success
In our experience, organisations that beat the odds focus on two key areas:
- Enhancing Agility: Helping teams guard against biases and balance their strengths.
The Tension of Mindsets: A Game-Changer
Setting projects up for success often lies in balancing opposing forces.
At Mindflick, we call this the Tension of Mindsets—the ability to combine seemingly contradictory approaches to unlock better outcomes. Think of it as a mental balancing act: ‘this and that’ rather than ‘this or that.’
Key Spotlight Mindsets
Consider these four Spotlight mindset preferences:
- Contained: Sticking to a plan to ensure alignment.
Each mindset has strengths, but over-reliance can backfire. For example, unchecked optimism may lead to overpromising, while excessive prudence could stifle innovation. To succeed, teams need to embrace Paranoid Optimism and Committed Dynamism as complementary counterweights.
Paranoid Optimism: Balancing Risk and Confidence
Over-optimism is a common pitfall in project leadership. Cognitive biases like the planning fallacy (underestimating risks and overestimating benefits) often lead teams astray. In some cases, even strategic misrepresentation—overpromising to secure funding—exacerbates the problem.
Paranoid Optimism provides a solution. By balancing hope with prudence, teams stay optimistic while preparing for worst-case scenarios. Risto Siilasmaa, former chairman of Nokia, exemplified this mindset. During Nokia’s negotiations with Microsoft, his team meticulously prepared for every possible scenario. This preparation didn’t dampen their optimism; it amplified it, knowing they were ready for anything.
Committed Dynamism: Navigating Change with Precision
Leading change also requires discipline and adaptability—a pairing that’s often seen as contradictory. Committed Dynamism combines the structure of the Contained mindset with the flexibility of the Engaged mindset.
Consider the Polaris missile program. Amidst Cold War pressures, the project team balanced commitment to timelines with the agility to adapt as new challenges emerged. This dual approach turned a technically complex initiative into a historic success.
Mindflick’s Contribution
At Mindflick, we help organisations embrace these mindset tensions to unlock their potential. Through tools like Spotlight, we guide teams to:
- Balance optimism with pragmatism to manage risks effectively.
- Stay disciplined while adapting dynamically to uncertainty.
- Foster collaboration by leveraging differences as strengths.
Take Action
Change doesn’t have to feel impossible. By harnessing the Tension of Mindsets, your organisation can navigate complexity and deliver transformative outcomes. Ready to see the difference? Contact us today to learn how Mindflick can help your teams thrive in change.