Call change an experiment
As humans, we are so resistant to change. We see change as threatening our status quo. We fear committing to adjustments that feel finite and permanent. We don't know if we are going to be acting out the change correctly, which makes us feel anxious. We also don't like to be simply told that we have to change without our input and permission.
One way to reduce this resistance is to call change an experiment.
When we say "let's try an experiment," four things happen:
1) It suggests that this is temporary. It is not set in stone. We can set an end date for the experiment and see the end in sight. Let's try this experiment for a season, a concert cycle, a rehearsal, or even for the next 15 minutes. It is not a forever commitment. When we commit to a change, we often immediately see what we'd lose from that change. A temporary experiment lessens this anxiety sparked by loss, and it leaves room for going back to how it was before. In fact, there is perhaps even an expectation that the old way would return because there is a time constraint to the experiment.
2) It has boundaries. An experiment has parameters beyond how long it would last. It has rules and restrictions. It has procedures that we can expect to follow. It is not an anything goes situation. While there are unknowns in experiments, the boundaries we establish help us feel more safe and secure in executing the experiment.
3) It embraces the inherent possibility that it may not work. The stakes often feel high when leaders enact a change because we want to convince others that this is a good idea. We want it to work so badly, and we may feel like we have only one shot at getting it right. Framing change as an experiment takes the pressure off of all of us to get it right the first time we try it. When we think of experimentation, we don't often expect a 100% success rate. Failure is a valid and acceptable result. This helps give us perspective when we are experiencing challenges, roadblocks, or failure in our attempts at change.
4) It offers a sense of wonder and play. It makes us wonder "what's going to happen" with anticipation. We become more curious rather than guarded. Even the idea of change easily elicits a defense mechanism, and we go into an elevated state expecting to fight for what we have. This threat is mitigated when we are curious about what could come from a novel, temporary adjustment. We start to imagine ways in which the experiment could pan out, and we engage in a more playful manner. We may even imagine other possibilities in the process. It becomes almost like a game. Bernard Suits describes playing a game as "the voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles." We voluntarily put ourselves in a state of temporary discomfort when it is a game. We also feel like we have more freedom to participate, to have a say and input in the experiment and its results and consequences. We don't feel like there is a "right" answer to grasp from the start.
I think we can all be performing more experiments in our work and lives - and call it that. We can set our own time constraints and boundaries, while giving ourselves permission to play with ideas that may not work out.
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