Immediate action. Instant results. An ongoing demand for change and new policies, procedures, and funding. These are realities many of us face on a near daily basis, and certainly considerations anytime a problem or concern is identified. If you were to look at just about any concern levied against an organization such as a university, you would no doubt find calls for immediate change and new programs, services, or policies to address the situation. There is no question that in these instances, there are things that can be done immediately to respond to the concern and action that can be taken to attempt to ensure the incident is not repeated. However, perhaps we also need to remember to slow down.
We live in an instant gratification society where responses are expected yesterday, and success is judged based on news cycles and quarterly earnings. This, of course, runs counter to what we generally know about the types of cultural change we are demanding. The reality is that the significant, sustained change that is so often being demanded takes time. Why? Well, the problem that we are seeking to address wasn't created in a day, so it seems rather illogical to expect that the solution will materialize in a day either. We need to extend our timelines for success.
When we demand instant change, we are only setting ourselves up for failure. We are not acknowledging what we know to be true about the systems we are attempting to influence. They are complicated. Many different stakeholders have a vested interest in the outcome, and communication and persuasion on this level doesn't happen quickly. Sure, we can make just-in-time course corrections but charting a new route and doing the research necessary for that route to get us successfully from point A to point B take times.
It's worth noting that we regularly underestimate the amount of time most things take, and we underestimate the number of differing opinions on most issues. We want to believe that human beings are rational actors capable of discerning the best course of action based on available information and acting on it. The truth is much more complex, and not nearly as rational. We do things every day that are not in our own best interest or the best interests of those we care about, in large part because of the unconscious biases that make it much easier to stick with things the way they are instead of making changes.
Our ability to remember past efforts and concerns also gets in our way. More often than not, the "emergency" we are responding to is something we've seen before and responded to before. In fact, we probably already have policies and resources in place to respond to it. Unfortunately, no policy or practice is 100% effective, and when something slips through the cracks, we assume the whole system is flawed and demand it be scrapped in favor of something more desirable. This ignores the enormous amount of time and energy that was most likely already committed to finding the solution we are so quick to toss out.
I will fully admit that it doesn't feel good to simply point to the resources and policies already in existence when something goes awry. We want something new and shiny with the hope that it will provide the more effective solution. In most instances, this simply isn't the case and we end up wasting our time looking for it. Our time would be much better spent assessing the effectiveness of those things already in place, examining why they didn't necessarily do their job, and asking if we can make tweaks. We need to give ideas time to permeate into our culture, gain traction, and demonstrate their effectiveness. If we scrap our plans every election cycle in favor of something new, simply as a campaign talking point, then we'll never see the possible outcomes. We need to sit back and watch, no matter how hard it may be sometimes. We need to give our ideas the time to prove themselves. Patience may not be the first idea that comes to mind when discussing cultural or social change, but it's a key ingredient.
