The Adaptability Principle II: 3 Phases of Collective Understanding
Part 2 of a 2 part series on managing AI driven organizational change
Part II: The Three Phases of Collective Understanding
One reason leaders often become uncomfortable with early communication is that transparency frequently increases tension before it creates alignment. This is normal.
In fact, that tension is often evidence that people are beginning the adaptation process.
When groups encounter a significant change, launch a major initiative, enter a new chapter, or confront a new reality, they commonly move through several phases of collective understanding.
These phases are not rigid. Different individuals may occupy different phases at the same time. Some move through them quickly. Others may remain stuck in a particular phase for months.
The role of leadership is not to eliminate these phases.
The role of leadership is to recognize them, anticipate them, and support people as they move through them.
Perhaps most importantly, leaders should explain to the team that these phases are normal and expected.
Phase 1: Limited Understanding
At the beginning of any significant change, understanding is incomplete. The general understanding of the entire group, and the individuals has a lot of gaps.
Different people possess different pieces of information. No one has a truly complete picture.
Assumptions fill the gaps. Lots of gaps....lots of assumptions.
Even so, individuals begin forming opinions long before the full picture is actually available.
Even with limited information, filled with gaps and assumptions, people start deciding:
- What are the different options
- Which option feels right to them
- Which ones feels threatening
- What they think they want or do not want
- Who they trust
- What outcome they hope will occur
And often many of these individuals may become convinced that they already understand the situation completely.
In fact, as a whole the group likely believes they already know the full set of options. They don't agree on which option is right. But they almost always have settled on a set of options that they believe are the only options. They don't realize there actually are other options none of them have thought of!
They also think they know which options are best for them and their interests. Safe bet: they don't. I cannot remember any case - over 35 plus years - where people's initial gut desires or preferences actually turned out to be what they really wanted, or what was best for their interests. But they wanted it very badly nevertheless.
Early on, people tend to become emotionally attached to what they believe is their preferred outcome.
As new information emerges later, these individuals may resist absorbing that new information. Changing positions may feel like admitting they were wrong. Or it may feel unsafe - primarily because of the emotional anchoring they did early in the process when so much was still unclear, when information was incomplete, and filled with gaps and assumptions.
In the beginning everyone thinks they know what they want. In the end, they just want it to be over :)