Change is overrated

I read this anonymous quote several months ago: “Change can be overrated. Sometimes people get frustrated when it seems that we constantly have to embrace change; just as things are working, we need to change again.”

I was once asked at a job interview if I liked change. I don’t think it’s helpful to think about change from such a closed-ended perspective. Change is not inherently good to all contexts. In entrepreneurial or reform contexts, change is to be expected because there is an experimental aspect to the conditions as we are trying to find out what works. On the other hand, change comes with a price such as loss of stability or familiarity which takes a toll on people’s confidence and job satisfaction.

A few years ago I was a part of leading a Bible college through an accreditation process and name change. There is a lot at stake in changing these types of educational contexts. Relationship loyalties, pride in past leadership decisions, and faithfulness to God and his leading are all value-laden issues involved. We revisited the following quote often during this process: “People can move into the future best when they can take some of the past with them. But if they do take some of the past, it should be the best of the past.”

Learning is one of the best things to take from the past into the future. If something didn’t work or is no longer effective, we must learn why and communicate that with gentleness rather than harshness. I have found that managing people’s attitudes about the change is the most difficult aspect – including my own.