The Paradigm Shift and the Status Quo

Many times I’ve heard people talking about changing the way of doing things, particularly when those things don’t produce the desired outcome or when the way they are done is somehow outdated or obsolete.

And when this dilemma is presented, more often than not, they bring the classic cliché…we need a “Paradigm Shift” here.

The problem with this is that some people mistake between what I call “challenging the Status Quo” and “making a Paradigm Shift”.

Challenging the Status Quo vs Making a Paradigm Shift

I am a constant challenger of the Status Quo. I obey and respect existing state of affairs but I always challenge those conditions to see if there are better, faster, cheaper ways to do them... but this has nothing to do with paradigms.

Once you have identified a better way, then the work to change the approach or underlying assumptions really starts. You can’t make an effective long lasting change (even through power or authority) if people don’t “see” the need for the change… and here is why the paradigm change comes handy.

Let me illustrate this with the Fish and the Frying Pan story.

The Status Quo

At the fish shop, this lady was always buying a 6-inch fish, no longer, no shorter… just a 6-inch fish. This was done several times for many months until one day the fishmonger asked her why she was so specific on the size of the fish discarding longer and even better ones.

She replied that this was passed on by her grandmother to her mother and to her. What the fishmonger found was that, many years ago the only frying pans available were 6-inch and no larger fish could fit in it…. THAT is the STATUS QUO.

The Paradigm Shift

When the fishmonger showed her that there are larger frying pans (10-inch, 12-inch, etc) that are able to cook larger fish or more than one 6-inch fish, she realized that the limitation she was carrying for generations was no longer applicable … and THIS is a PARADIGM SHIFT.

This might look like a simplistic example but I am still amaze to witness a large number of people, and organizations, who still operate with a 6-inch fish mentality.

If the person does not see the advantage, the value or the benefit of what you are conveying, then there will be resistance and no shift in paradigms will be created … things will continue to be done as they were.

So before forcing people to change, show them a 12-inch frying pan.