Regression vs. progression
There is safety in regression. Not that it’s a safe decision—there’s a lot of risk in knowingly doing something many employees have flagged as not for them, but there is comfort in feeling like you can retain control by returning back to something that once was. Whether or not it was working or a perfect system, there’s certainty in what that structure looks like and for those risk adverse or those comfortable in the known, this can feel like the more appealing option. It requires less effort because it’s pre-built, with a few tweaks at best. With change ever looming, regression provides the illusion of control.
Progression is a more risk-inherent decision, rooted in a belief that changes are necessary, and in order to make real change, we need to think about the type of progress and incremental improvements needed to get to a better future state. It’s a keenly open-minded belief that progress is not linear and taking two steps forward and one step back doesn’t mean you failed; it means you are leaning into the heart of what it means to experiment and grow as you progress towards a goal.
If we were to frame this like we were looking at a marketing plan or strategy, you might consider the difference as this: a brand that chooses to do the same thing over and over again because there is comfort in known factors vs. a brand that’s more exploratory and interested in doing things differently, a bit more off the beaten path and maybe even less proven. Each of those brands, just like any organization, have two critical decisions they need to make when deciding which path to take: what goals are they trying to achieve and how will they measure what success looks like?
If we apply that lens to reimagine how we work, change can feel less intimidating or less risky because the greater reward in the long term can pay off tenfold.
Putting progression into practice
Looking at the past 12 months, we’ve seen an influx of more regression-based behaviors and policies put into place. As we look ahead to the next 12 months, we have the opportunity to unlock the power of a more progression-based approach. For any organization, the first step in activating that direction is to acknowledge that the work has just started.
How do we begin to build with a progression-based approach?
The mindset required is that of patience and learning.
- It’s not a “set it and forget it” approach which means it’s going to require more diligence, observation and acceptance. If something doesn’t work, that doesn’t mean it’s a failure; it means it’s a data point to inform a future decision or next step.
- When we think about real systemic and structural change, we need to be open to listening to understand how people feel, why they feel the way they do and what we can do to resolve barriers, tensions and challenges that have made our current way of working ‘not workable’ for many.
