Building a Change Artist
So you want your organization to change? Then you just might need a change artist. What is a change artist? A change artist is someone who leads change in an organization by sharing example and by influence using visualization. That is to say, a change artist will not mandate or coerce in order to introduce change, but rather they will begin with themselves and demonstrate their own change – thereby providing the example and the potential motivation for others to seek similar change in themselves. The visualizations help to share the story – you need the artist.
I think that people who are able to express their ideas through pictures are particularly well suited to creating the kinds of compelling visualizations that help convey what change might look like. They don’t have to be technically competent as an artist. Just good enough to draw stick figures and tell a story. Its really not that hard once you stop worrying about what people think.
Can we create people like this? Or are they born to it? I don’t think the hard part is the art. Anybody can do that. It’s how they approach change that matters most.
Perhaps there are organizations that would be more receptive to change initiatives that aggressively use visualization techniques. I can’t help imagine that visualization can add a compelling element to any transition engagement. I’ve not see much evidence of that sort of approach on agile transition engagements that I’ve been on. I’ve seen the power of what a simple drawing can do to draw people together and generate discussion. Using some sharpies and some butcher paper I can start a conversation that will continue long after I’m gone. I’ve seen it happen. There isn’t a text document in the world that can compete with a good picture. I’m not talking about Visio diagrams either. There is a quality to the hand drawn diagram that invites people to engage in a way that no sterile electronic diagram ever will. I’ve held two versions of the same diagram, one hand drawn and one electronic, side by side and the preference is almost always unanimous – the hand drawn version wins. I think the magic lies somewhere in the the errors and mistakes in the drawing. They must serve to remind us that we are human. Perfection isn’t necessary, and in fact may be counterproductive.
That’s who I want to help me change the world. Combine the passion for change and the art and I’ll give you a change artist.
