Decisions are made based on how situations are interpreted, not on what is actually happening.
When that interpretation is misaligned, action compounds the problem rather than resolving it.
Individuals and institutions do not respond to change itself.
They respond to their interpretation of what is happening
For those carrying responsibility for change in complex environments.
Not all change efforts fail because of execution. Many fail before action begins.
In complex environments, cause and effect are not always visible.
Multiple forces interact. Feedback is delayed. Signals conflict.Decisions still have to be made.Under these conditions, interpretation often becomes unstable.
What appears to be happening is not always what is happening.
Action follows interpretation.When interpretation is misaligned with underlying conditions,
decisions compound the problem rather than resolve it.This is where many change efforts fail.
Not from resistance, but from misperception.
A short diagnostic designed to identify where your current understanding of a change situation may be misaligned with actual conditions
Completion time: under 3 minutes