3 Approaches to Change
Not all change is the same. These three approaches—Optimization, Evolution, and Adaptation—help you match your strategy to the complexity of your situation, instead of forcing everything through a one-size-fits-all model.
3 Approaches to Change vs traditional thinking
Two different assumptions about how change should work.
Lean Change
Change isn't something to control—it’s something to navigate. These approaches are lenses, not phases. You can use them to understand what kind of change you’re facing and respond appropriately.
Traditional Change Management
Change is often treated as a linear journey from current state to future state, with a standardized process applied regardless of the situation. Deviations are treated as resistance or failure to follow the plan.
The 3 Approaches to Change model helps you identify what kind of change your system needs—not what a framework tells you to do. Each approach brings its own mindset, methods, and risks:
[ml][ol][li indent=0 align=left][b]Optimization[/b]: This is about improving what already exists—refining processes, removing inefficiencies, and increasing performance. It works best in stable systems with clear cause and effect. But if the problem is adaptive, optimization can become a distraction that keeps deeper issues untouched.[/li][li indent=0 align=left][b]Evolution[/b]: Evolution focuses on continuous learning and gradual shifts. It’s about creating space for new patterns to emerge through experimentation, feedback, and reflection. This approach thrives when you’re operating in complex environments where solutions aren’t obvious and learning is ongoing.[/li][li indent=0 align=left][b]Adaptation[/b]: Adaptation blends both: it’s context-sensitive, situational, and often messy. It requires a system to adjust not just what it does, but how it [i]thinks[/i]. It emerges when neither optimization nor evolution alone is enough—and when the system must shift fundamentally to survive or thrive.[/li][/ol][/ml] These aren’t maturity levels or steps. They’re different ways to engage with change depending on what the system is ready for. Misapplying them—like using optimization when adaptation is needed—can stall progress or even make things worse.
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Child Developments
Related child elements that expand this building block.
When change is co-created, it spreads organically like dropping coloured dye into water.
When change is dropped through the hole in the floor, we are naturally put into a position to push change.
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