The Art of Savvy Change-Making

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Career Advice: Be a Savvy Reformer

We dedicate this to all our reformers, pioneers, and change-makers out there!

Let's face it, the modern workplace is a jungle, and sometimes it feels like we're armed with nothing but a machete and a blindfold. Enter Chesterton’s Fence theory, your new best friend. Coined by the ever-quotable G. K. Chesterton in 1929, this nifty principle teaches us not to yank out a metaphorical 'fence'—be it a quirky policy, an age-old process, or a mysterious system—without first figuring out why on earth it’s there.

Think of it as a call to pause the bulldozer of innovation long enough to check if you’re about to mow down something important.🤔 As a true activator that lacks patience, this is hard for me. It’s actually why I went digging and came across this principle.

Why Chesterton’s Fence is the Change-Makers Survival Kit

Before you roll your eyes at yet another office policy, consider the hidden perks of digging a little deeper with Chesterton's Fence:

• Treasure Hunt for Institutional Knowledge: Who knows what secrets lurk in the hearts of old processes? Understanding the backstory might just unearth hidden gems—or at least prevent a face-palm moment. 🕵️‍♂️

• Dodge Risky Landmines: Many established protocols are not just red tape; they’re the moats keeping workplace chaos at bay. Ignore them at your peril! ⚠️

• Win Over the Crowd: Change can send folks running for their pitchforks or it can have them cheering you on. Get them in your corner by showing you’ve done your homework. 👏

How to Be a Change-maker Without Being a Steamroller

If you’re itching to spearhead change without earning the title of the squeaky wheel or exhausting disrupter, here’s how you can use Chesterton’s Fence to your advantage:

• Channel Your Inner Historian: Dive into the why and how of ancient workplace relics. You might find that some deserve a place in the museum rather than the trash. 🏺

• Chat with the Workplace Sages: They’ve been around the block and can spot a hasty change from a mile away. 🧙‍♂️

• The Butterfly Effect: Ponder the ripples your brilliant ideas might cause. Sure, removing one little 'fence' seems simple enough, but will it unleash chaos? There is a way to do it that is NOT chaotic.

TL;DR Play Chess, Not Checkers.

Chesterton’s Fence isn’t about chaining us to the past; it's about playing the game of office chess with strategic savvy. It invites us to question, to challenge, but also to respect the wisdom embedded in existing frameworks. By wielding this principle, we can transform from reckless reformers to clever innovators, navigating the workplace maze with a smirk, a wink, and a well-timed “Aha!” Here’s to making informed tweaks that honor the past while boldly striding into the future.

Couch Moment will be answering your questions every week right here, so if you’re looking for more guidance in this or any other area of work life, you can submit a question here.

Reader Question: 👋, I am an HR manager and my question is this: How can you effectively communicate new company policies to long-standing team members who are used to older practices, especially when these changes might require them to adjust the way they have traditionally done things?

The Move: We suggest pulling from the Chesterton Fence Theory (as discussed above 👆️). Before finalizing and communicating the new policy, go to the long-standing team members and dig into why they created it in the first place. Address these reasons when you roll out the policy and explain WHY the policy is no longer serving the organization as it once did! REALLY LISTEN before TAKING ACTION. Good luck!

Tell Me Somethin’ Good

In an April post for the Harvard Business Review, long-time contributor James Heskett asks what’s enough to make us happy? Haskett’s article claims that happiness can’t be achieved alone by financial, relational and physical wellbeing but by also having goals for when enough is enough of all the things we incessantly strive for. Haskett writes that happiness is not driven by the thing we strive for, but the feeling of wellbeing we experience though achieving our goals.

A month after writing this article, James Haskett decided that 24 years and 287 columns were enough and he announced his retirement from contributing to the Working Knowledge series. You can see a list of his most read columns here.

We love a good walk off moment.

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If you are feeling the pain of change or lack thereof in your organization, drop us a note to learn how we might help.