Mastering transition: from unstable to stable conditions in the organization

What we can learn from nature: the principle of migratory birds

Have you ever watched migratory birds on their journey south? And have you ever wondered why wild geese, for example, always fly in a V formation on their uncertain journey to their summer quarters?

The answer is that each bird creates an air vortex with its wing beats, which not only protects the bird behind it from headwinds, but also generates lift for the other birds. This reduction in air resistance makes geese in this formation up to 70 percent more efficient than when they fly alone.

Boost your organization's performance with stable structures

Only the lead goose feels the full force of the headwind. That is why, after a while at the front, it leaves its position to loud "applause" from the other members of the formation and rejoins the group at the back. Another goose then automatically takes the lead.

If an animal leaves the formation or if it is disturbed from outside, all members return to their original order as quickly as possible in order to continue to benefit from the updraft. This natural phenomenon impressively demonstrates that all systems—including organizations—always strive to quickly return to stable states, known as order patterns, after a phase of transition.

The path to successful, stable structures leads through instability.

Organizational psychologist Prof. Dr. Peter Kruse calls this phenomenon the transition from one stable macroscopic pattern of order to another stable macroscopic pattern of order. As can be observed with wild geese, the goal is always to move from an old pattern to a new, more efficient, stable pattern via a phase of reorganization.

It is important to use all available resources to keep the period of drifting—the uncertain, vulnerable, unstable phase between the two patterns—as short as possible. One thing is certain: systems need to be reorganized in order to grow and develop. Just as the goose formation needs a change of leadership to reach its distant goal as a community with as few losses as possible.

The prerequisites for achieving stability at a higher level are...

• the willingness and courage ofeach individual member of the formation to move away from a system that functions on a microscopic level and toward a new system that promises better results on a higher level,
• thewillingness to let go inorder to allow other viewpoints and new perspectives,
• Recognizing the uncertainties that dominate the process as a normal state of affairs and appreciating them as a necessary condition for transformation.
• the drive of each individual to support the transformation process with all available resources to achieve something greater, even if this means putting their own feelings aside,
• Thewillingness of leader toaccept a temporary decline in performance as the price of transition to uncertain outcomes.

To quote French writer and Nobel Prize winner André Gide:

“You cannot discover new lands without having the courage to lose sight of familiar shores.”

Image source:©Pixabay – jandenouden