Project Systems Support and CHAOTIC CHANGE - Safe Hands in a Wild World

Introducing the Helix of Change

Chaotic Change occurs when the World changes faster than People are able to adapt to it … and if left unmanaged, results in organisational meltdown and ultimately, failure. Whilst this form of chaos brings uneasiness, it can also be used as a powerful catalyst for creativity and growth.

At the very centre of growth within the natural world is the Helix of Life aka DNA. This consists of two long chains of nucleotides, molecular building blocks, twisted into a double helix and joined by hydrogen bonds.

If we use this analogy for describing Chaotic Change, one long chain of the double helix represents Ambiguity and the other Complexity, with Effective Communication as the equivalent of the hydrogen bonds that keep the structure together. We refer to this as the Helix of Change™.

When allowed to operate healthily, all is well and the life form is able to survive. However, if the hydrogen bonds fail or get damaged, the organism dies … so it is in Business, Effective Communication is essential for our survival.

The American writer Henry Adams once said that “Chaos often breeds life, when order breeds habit”. So some degree of chaos within an organisation is therefore potentially healthy and possibly, even desirable.

Sometimes chaos is deliberately introduced into the business environment by Management attempts to improve performance. However, on other occasions chaos when initiated from the outside can be threatening and needs to be brought under control.

The impact of chaos can therefore vary significantly depending on how it is managed. But with care and respect, the potentially destructive power of chaotic forces can be re-focused and harnessed to create positive benefits for both individuals and organisations. These are vital skills now needed to ensure our future survival.

Contact Robert Toogood NOW on +44 (0)1983 617241 or via email at robert_toogood@chaoticchange.com for an initial, no-obligation and confidential discussion about help with Chaotic Change within your organisation.

Project Systems Support and Chaotic Change - Safe Hands in a Wild World