Is chaos like a wild horse?

Inhumane horse trainers (managers) see a rebellious animal who must adjust to a new environment. They transform the horse through a process they call "breaking." They break the will of the horse so it submits to the will of the human. Their methods may include:

• Saddling and riding the horse until its will is broken
• Tying the saddled horse to a tree until it ceases to struggle
• Drowning the horse until it submits
  

Your organization is in chaos. You want to create pockets of stability. What do you do?

Make the results of meetings predictable.

Managers who like to be in control have a predictable reaction to their organization grappling with a change which creates chaos -- they want it to stop. When? Now, right now.

What happens if management decides to short-circuit chaos with a magical solution? What happens if management accepts chaos as a necessary but uncomfortable period of the change process?

Every technology organization must deal with change. Virginia Satir, a pioneering family therapist, created a change model to help families process change. Her model fits high technology organizations equally well. This article explains Satir's model and offers insights into how to more effectively manage the change process.