Discontinuous Improvement

Continuous improvement is based on balancing what we desire with the practicalities of time and effort. Continuous improvement gives us control of our changes and our situation, guided by feedback and reflection. But change is not always ours to control and, if we are honest, some changes are better carried out discretely than discreetly.

Change from outside can arrive gradually and then all at once. It can be a surprise because we could not have known, or it can be a surprise because we chose not to know. Most changes described as disruptive were there all along and, in truth, are only disruptive because of attitude and entrenchment. But whether the change forced upon is sudden and catastrophic because it is sudden and catastrophic or simply because we didn't know better, we may find that evolution is forced upon us.

How can we respond?