Increasing complexity throws systems out of equilibrium and creates new tensions that require new variety to enable nations to adapt and survive. To create the requisite variety necessary to adapt to these tensions, nations must abandon linear change models and instead adopt a dynamic dialectic change model that leverages the dynamic, nonlinear characteristics of the complex environment to realize the change through a two phase process of planning and execution. Each phase requires the sequential application of cognition, power, emotion, power and cognition to move nations from its current cognitive position of dissatisfaction to its idealized cognitive catalytic change position. By so doing nations will engage the emotional energy of its members to realize change and create a new order by enabling spontaneous order that enables nations to co-evolve with its environment.
Process and Expectations
Rapid, dynamic, nonlinear changes force individuals to change more frequently and more rapidly than ever before. However, despite the abundance of individual change efforts, most of these change efforts fail to yield their desired ends; with most research indicating that generally two-thirds of all change initiatives fail to create the type and/or level of change intended. Many individuals find the complexity in which they operate defying their cognitive abilities to comprehend and construct change strategies and solutions that would enable their individuals to adapt to the tensions created within their complex individuals and their complex environments. The old change tools that worked in a linear world have become confounded in a nonlinear one. In addition, the change process that individuals must employ no longer have a stable base of equilibrium from which to launch and they can no longer be created and executed in a command and control manner but require a more participatory management approach in order to create and execute them. Individuals also find that they can no longer expect easy and willing acceptance of their change programs and must therefore learn to deal with increasing levels of rejection and ambivalence as their individuals fight for their survival by implementing the change necessary for their nations to survive and thrive. These change initiatives have as their primary purpose creating increasing levels of variety within nations to match the greater variety in their dynamic environments (McKinley, 2001). Creating requisite variety within nations requires the enabling of spontaneous order to enable nations to manage the co-evolutionary processes that produce requisite variety (McKelvey, 2002).