How Change Causes Change

Paramaribo, December 28, 2001, Joan Marques, MBA, Doctoral Student

(URL: https://www.angelfire.com/id/joanmarques/PR)

It is only when you return to your initial environment

after having been away for a while, that you realize

how the process of change can change a person’s

complete perspective on almost everything. This is not

only the case with (temporarily) returning to a home

country after relocating to another, but it may just

as well pertain to companies, or even families! It

takes all your personal leadership abilities to

successfully re-identify with the “culture” that used

to be yours, maybe not even that long ago. And in fact

the confusion that oftentimes manifests itself is not

even illogic, for doesn’t this process resemble the

phenomenon of ethnocentrism being cured by exposure to

a different culture? To refresh the reader’s memory:

ethnocentrism could be defined as "thinking [that]

one's own group's ways are superior to others" or

"judging other groups as inferior to one's own. " 

Being re-exposed to your initial culture, then, leads

to a factual culture shock that may drop on your head

even twice as tough, because you start seeing the

shortcomings of what used to be immaculate and maybe

even superior in the perception you so carefully

cherished during your absence. As a matter of fact,

maybe the best way to typify the confusing turmoil in

which you land is “reversed ethnocentrism”. 

Getting yourself in shape to manage this emotional

crisis responsibly requires—before anything else—the

ability to recognize it! The general perception of

various authors, who state that everybody, without

exception, is ethnocentric, can easily lead to the

conclusion that almost certainly everybody also

experiences reversed ethnocentrism when returning to

the initial environment after exposure to a different

one. The feelings of disappointment that we endure

during these moments can be devastating. Now, even if

radicalism may serve excellent as a leadership tool to

keep your company from endlessly, incrementally

innovating, it also has some negative connotations to

it. In the case of reversed ethnocentrism, for

instance, a radical approach can lead to decisions

such as cutting off all ties that used to exist with

the initial culture. The nationalist who lived in

another country can, hence, decide to abandon his/her

home country ineradicably, the staff member who was

once so full of the company-culture can suddenly

decide to resign, and the son or daughter who was

always such a family person can choose to stay away

for at least another ten years.

Judy Neal offers a possible approach that may be

helpful in situations of confusion—because that’s what

it boils down to—namely, asking ourselves under all

circumstances: “1) Who am I? and 2) What is my purpose

in life? ” Although Neal applies these questions

mainly to the concept of spirituality in the

workplace, their scope and importance could very well

be extended to all aspects of life. We just have to

understand that we are subject to change as long as we

are conscious. The changes we experience from day to

day may seem rather small at times, and grappling at

others (think about the effects of terrorist actions),

but change is always there. It never leaves. As

numerous authors may have stated before this article,

change within the society where you live and/or work

may not be as obvious while you’re part of it, but

when you have detached yourself from it for an

extended period of time, that’s when the eye-opening

process kicks in.

The answer we give to the two abovementioned questions

that Neal has posted in her “Reflections on the coming

of the New Year” may very well change drastically over

the years, but they will definitely force us to

regularly get in touch with our inner selves. They

will help us keep track of the changes we go through

and the changed individual we become through those

changes. They will also help us to accept new or old

situations we get (re)confronted with and which we may

not like, due to the changes we have gone through. Not

all change happens as rapidly everywhere. Some

environments just move at a faster pace than others.

It is unfair toward our initial culture to be compared

with the newly experienced one, even though it may

very well be helpful if we are in the position to

gradually introduce some new impulses here and there. 

Bottom line is that the statement, “we change through

the books we read and the people we meet”, is as true

as can be. It’s those books and those people that will

ultimately awaken the urge in us to move away from

being “classic” and dare to be “genuinely original”,

like Tom Peters recently described a good friend . 

And, to dwell a little longer on Peters’ statements,

to become “captivated-obsessed with [your] dreams,

[because] there is no quality [to be] admire[d] more

in a human.” 

So where is this all supposed to lead to? Simple, to

the awareness that has been described time and again

by people from all walks of life: we change

constantly, and change changes us. We move away from

people and things that were once our most beloved. We

grow, and so do they. And unfortunately, we don’t

always grow in the same direction. Sometimes we will

make friends, or create situations and links for life,

but sometimes they will only serve a temporary

purpose. It is impossible to try to hang on to

everyone and everything that once touched us, for

there is only so much time to do whatever we have to

do. Dreaming is not childish. On the contrary! It

takes a hero to dare to dream in a world that almost

forces you to walk in line with millions of others.

And yes, it will drive you in other directions. Yes,

you will loose track of good old friends and places.

But don’t let that keep you from the adventure of your

life. As long as you do it in a responsible way:

Dream! Gamble! Fantasize! Look in different

directions! See the bigger picture and help others to

see it as well! Remember the words of the song called

The Gambler: “You got to know when to hold on, know

when to hold up, know when to walk away, know when to

run…” Try to keep in mind that your change could have

happened faster or slower than the one from the

environment you are confronted with. Try to find the

positive elements in everything. Be one of the

initiators of “the major shift in consciousness that

is taking place in [today’s] world ” (Neal, 2001) and

be inventive by trying to find a way to increase the

“interconnectedness of the human race” (Neal, 2001) in

the most positive way you can. Write, speak, sing,

dance, use your every skill to catch the attention of

your audience in the home country, workplace, or at

the family reunion, and stir within them the change

that changed you! Live one of Mahatma Gandhi’s most

famous quotes: “Be the change you want to see in the

world” 

Good luck in 2002!

References:

  http://www.iupui.edu/~anthkb/ethnocen.htm

  http://www.spiritatwork.com

  http://www.tompeters.com/toms_world/observations.asp

  http://www.spiritatwork.com