What’s a “Paradigm Shift”?

Understanding Paradigm Shifts can help us better understand and navigate today’s turbulence

If you understand that a paradigm is like a game (see What’s a “Paradigm?”), then a paradigm shift can be simply described as “a change to a new game, a new set of rules” (Joel Barker, Paradigms: The Business of Discovering the Future).

“That’s it?!?,” you ask. Yes! It’s this simple. (And, at the same time, much more complex. But for now, let’s stay with this level of simplicity.)

You’ve Got This!

As kids, we loved to play games! If you had a particular game that was your favorite, but also knew how to play other games, pat yourself on the back! You already know how to shift paradigms! (It’s not necessarily a big or arduous undertaking!)

“Ok,” you might be saying. “If Paradigm Shifting is really this simple ~ something kids do all the time ~ how does this actually help me better understand and navigate today’s turbulence?

Where We Can Get Stuck

We can run into difficulty when we are not aware that we are operating within a paradigm (not aware “that there is a game, what the game is, and how to play it successfully”*) as we will be unaware when we are experiencing a paradigm shift (“a change to a new game, a new set of rules.”*).

For example, tennis and football are two different paradigms, or systems of information. They each have their own distinct objectives, expectations of behavior, and tools and skills necessary for success. Imagine how unsuccessful you might feel if you showed up in the “tennis paradigm” (as to you, that’s just how things are done) to a space where football is the name of the game! Can you see how infuriating this could be?

Paradigm Shifts and Turbulence

Over 30 years ago Joel Barker expressed,

“It is my belief that changes in paradigms are behind much of society’s turbulence…We had a set of rules we knew well, then someone changed the rules. We understood the boundaries, then we had to learn new boundaries and those changes dramatically upset our worlds…” ~Joel Barker, Paradigms:The Business of Discovering the Future

Now, think about the pandemic and how much “business as usual” has been disrupted in recent years. Can you better understand the level of turbulence that has been created as multiple major paradigms have been fundamentally shifting (ie, business, education, how we meet, and so on)? With so many boundaries in a state of flux, of course things are feeling topsy turvy!

Tips for Navigating Today’s Turbulence

Now that you understand we operate within paradigms and paradigms can shift, let’s talk about some tips for navigating today’s turbulence:

Be Compassionate

Let’s be fair: How can any of us really be expected to operate with a solid understanding of paradigms? The set of rules for how we operate is often implicit. Paradigms are not yet part of our common vernacular. We don’t talk about them. They are often just taken as a given. And that makes it easy to assume, “This is just ‘the way’ things are done.”

Save Your Energy

“At the core of our challenge is ENERGY in the most holistic sense. Reconciling the sacredness and profanity of energy is the circle we must learn to square.” ~ Zaid Hassan, The Social Labs Revolution: A New Approach to Solving our Most Complex Challenges

Energy matters! Even more so in a time when so many people are experiencing burn out. That’s why I recommend Paradigm Shifting Leaders track where and how they spend their time and energy.

Now that we better understand that we operate within paradigms, and that paradigms can shift, we can take care to avoid wasting energy blaming others or ourselves for a phenomenon that is beyond the scope of any individual. Time spent blaming self (“What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I do this right?”) or others (“What’s wrong with you? Why don’t you just do it this way?”) will not improve the situation in a paradigm shift and diverts energy that could be invested in getting curious about the new game you find yourself in.

Stop Trying Harder: Pause & Get Curious

People like to feel successful so it’s natural for us to assume that we might once again be successful if we only try harder to do what worked in the past. But repeating behaviors that brought success in a different game won’t necessarily help you succeed in a new game. So part of the Art & Science of Paradigm Shifting is this: Instead of buckling down and trying harder to do what you know, pause and get curious about how this new game is played.

Key Takeaways:

• “A paradigm shift is a change to a new game, a new set of rules.” ~Joel Barker
• As children, many of us got experience shifting between games, so we already have experience in Paradigm Shifting. (It’s not necessarily a big or arduous undertaking!)
• However, the paradigm (set of rules) for how we operate in a context are often implicit and taken as a given ~ “It’s just ‘the way’ things are done.”
• When we’re oblivious to paradigms and paradigm shifts ~ attention and energy that could be invested in learning the rules of the new game ~ often gets ensnared in conflict within and between people.
• Paradigm shifts are challenging not because humans are unable to learn a new set of rules, but because so few of us are operating with an awareness of these sets of rules (paradigms) and an understanding of how to work with them when they shift.
• When experiencing a paradigm shift, resist the tendency to buckle down and try harder doing what has worked in the past. Instead, be compassionate, avoid the blame game, and pause and get curious about how this new game is played.

Works Referenced:

• * Paradigms:The Business of Discovering the Future, by Joel Barker