Embracing the chaos

Change. In our constantly evolving society, it is impossible to escape it. We see it in constantly shifting political ideologies. We see it in our communities, schools, homes and businesses through technology advancing faster than we ever imagined. We see it within our personal relationships as we move across the lifespan and from one life phase to another. And, we hopefully see it within ourselves when we try to adopt a new habit.

But what happens when the changes are quite drastic, or even worse, could bring about unpredictable results? As a 21 year old college student, I’ve experienced a variety of large scale and small scale changes. For example, the political climate in the U.S. is quite different now than when I was born. On a more personal scale, I left behind a small rural community at 18 and moved to a city with more diversity than I’d encountered in my entire life time. And on an even smaller scale, I’ve seen relationships with friends from home and friends I’ve made here evolve—some got stronger, and some have faded a little.

Yet in spite of all of this change in the world and my life, I have not shied away from the unknown. Sure, there have been moments where I was unsure about what was around the corner. But, if I’ve learned anything in my time at Ohio State, it is this: It is so important to embrace the chaos that change can be. I’ve embraced chaos as president of my sorority, where our organization’s membership has doubled in size in less than 2 years (and is still growing). I’ve embraced chaos after informing my parents (who have lived in my hometown all their lives) that I was considering attending graduate school in another state. And, with aspirations for a career in Extension, I’ve embraced the organized chaos surrounding its efforts to figure out where we will take the organization in the coming years. It’s been organized chaos, but chaos nonetheless.

Through these experiences, I’ve realized that change is a natural part of our lives. Instead of fearing change, I’ve realized how freeing it can be to embrace it. For example, if, while leading my sorority, I’d held tightly to the status quo for fear of change, we’d still be stuck with a variety of outdated policies and procedures.

A little faith can help too. A little faith in the notion that trying something new is worth the effort, even if the results don’t go exactly as we might have anticipated. Although my parents were initially shocked at my idea of moving away, they have begun to warm up to the idea and are now very supportive. Again, we need to “embrace the chaos,” no matter how hard it may seem in its early phases.

As you encounter change in your personal and professional life, I hope that you will resist the tendency to stick to the status quo and allow yourself to have faith it will all work out. Change doesn’t have to be scary—it can actually be very exciting. And for even more excitement, why not consider how you could help someone else embrace their own chaos?

Mariah Stollar is a Student Assistant for the State CD Office. She is a senior at The Ohio State University, majoring in community leadership.

Organizational Change – make it real

One of the questions I get asked the most when working with an organization is, “How do you go about creating cultural change?” I think the reason we get asked this so frequently is because the task seems huge, outside the realm of the possible. There are a number of reasons a corporate culture needs or wants to change, but regardless of why, the process of making the change a reality is rooted in dialogue.

Human beings experience the world through language. It shapes our reality and defines our lives. The most cohesive organizations have a common language. Sometimes we call it jargon, and sometimes it is all but impossible for someone from the outside to understand, but the way the team (or company, or entire discipline) talks impacts its identity.

In the book Tribal Leadership, Logan, King, and Fischer-Wright outline five stages of organizational development which are defined by the conversations that members of the organizations have. Moving an organization through the stages is a process that can be managed, but requires that individuals become conscious of and responsible for how they communicate. If you work for or with an organization that is struggling, this book is a good place to start looking for solutions.

While the book focuses on the impact that corporate culture has on productivity, what I find in my work is that corporate culture impacts and is impacted by so many aspects of an organization. We may measure our success based on productivity, but in the end that is only a measurement, as are things like job satisfaction, recruitment, and turn-over rates.

How then, do we bring out real change in an organization? Is it really as simple as managing the conversations? Yes and no.

The first thing to remember is that leaders set the tone. Not just in the formal speeches like those made at the Annual Meeting of the Board, for example, but in every interaction they have with members of the organization. All too often, leaders are focused on themselves. On their work, their goals, their team. They use “I, me, and my” statements without realizing that this often sets up competition within the organization itself. In fact, they frequently see internal competition as healthy in a Darwinian way.

The authors of Tribal Leadership contend, and my own observations support, that this is not a conversation that allows for or supports positive organizational change, and yet it is the most common conversation that happens in an organization. Instead, positive change occurs within the conversation of vision. This is where teams come together and take on industry standards as the competition, not other parts of their own company. This is not an easy shift to make, but it is essential for both personal and organizational growth. We see this in many industry-leading companies and most successful social movements.  Simon Sinek may have said it best in his TED Talk, “Start With Why.”

If organizational change is something your organization is struggling with, know that there are a number of resources to help. For more information, contact your local Community Development Extension personnel. We would love to help you.

Laura Fuller is a county Extension educator in Noble County (Buckeye Hills EERA).