Lean Change – The 5 Universals – ‘Purpose Over Urgency’
This is the first of five posts – one on each of the 5 Universals of Change, created by Jason Little.
Purpose over urgency
Traditional Change Management emphasises the need to create urgency. Kotter’s 8-step process starts with it, and Daryl Conner’s “burning platform” metaphor suggests, “People don’t change because they see the light; they change because they feel the heat.” But is this helpful?
We now understand that urgency can trigger fight, flight, or freeze responses, creating anxiety and shutting down the prefrontal cortex—the part of the brain responsible for balanced decision-making. Over time, urgency burns people out.
Lean Change takes a different path. It enables a shared purpose to emerge. Purpose – the reason for which something is done – becomes the starting point.
Instead of leaders identifying a problem, deciding on a solution, and selling it to employees to get their ‘buy-in’, Lean Change views people as holders of insight that need to be heard. It encourages and supports impacted employees – who are often closest to the problems – to co-create solutions. This process fosters a ‘felt sense’ of purpose. Even if there’s disagreement, this shared purpose cultivates a willingness to support the change. It’s a compassionate approach that works better in the long run.
