Parallax Consulting

In response to this coronavirus pandemic, we (Don and Cindy) took the work we were already doing with some of our collaborators (Carol Mase and Tom Roy) and distilled it into the basics, which we are offering as a PDF.  Here’s a taste:

“We are facing the biggest immediate human challenge in recent history. Spread of the coronavirus known as COVID-19 has people confused, uncertain, and scared.  We are sharing this paper because we think it is of value, not in dealing with the virus itself, but in showing how a different mindset can reduce anxiety, make sense of a troubling situation, and more clearly assess what is going on in order to help us make better decisions…. [We] have been working with VUCA and Adaptive Change for more than 20 years.  We have applied these concepts and principles with leaders, organizations (of all kinds and sizes), and communities around the world. This framework provides a way to make sense of a world that is highly connected, startlingly turbulent, and rapidly changing – the situation we all face today.

We start with VUCA:  Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity….”

And then we discuss our Adaptive Change Model beginning with this thumbnail sketch – “The journey has four phases: Destabilization, the Fall, the Cauldron, and the Road Back. It has three Exit Ramps – places where you attempt to leave the change cycle and re-establish the Status Quo you left behind. We are only exploring the first one for this paper because the other two happen further along the change journey than where we are right now. We anticipate encountering them between May and December 2020. The entire cycle hinges on one inflection point – finding Transformational Ideas. The experience of the change journey has social, emotional, and psychological ups-and-downs that we call the Red Line of Change.”

And finally, in conclusion – “By combining VUCA and Adaptive Change, we have presented you with a framework that addresses our journey through the COVID-19 pandemic and future challenges we face globally and collectively. Whether it is climate change, poverty, clean water and air, or income inequality, this framework allows you to make sense of whatever situation you face. However, and it is a big however, it doesn’t eliminate the work you personally have to do to get through a crisis…. To manage both the Adaptive Change cycle and VUCA requires “confronting the brutal facts.” In other words, successful Adaptive Change occurs when we understand the dynamics of VUCA that impact it….  Every one of us will have an opportunity to experience Adaptive Change during this pandemic. And this is the only way we can create a new reality – being both the agents of change and changing ourselves…. Remember, as it relates to COVID-19, we don’t make the timetable – the virus does. So, let’s use VUCA and the Adaptive Change process to be as prepared as we can be and respond in ways that don’t amplify the danger for ourselves and others.”

“What’s the bravest thing you’ve done recently?”