Organizations are a miracle.  Let’s embrace what they do well, rather than looking to workplaces as problems that need to be solved.

These ideas are not mine, they come from action research theorists David Cooperrider and Suresh Srivastra. This approach, favoring appreciation of working systems and understanding as a starting point for change has come to be called appreciative inquiry. 

Why not start with appreciating the systems that do work?  Any human system is complex, and balances the forces of many elements. Before deciding a system is dysfunctional remember that people are working with good purpose to keep the system performing as it is. If one intends to change a system, why not begin by understanding the reason it is balanced in the way it is, and talk to the people who keep it this way?

People are systems too. We have complex motivations and social pressures surrounding our behaviors. If one is interested in changing oneself, consider what is working well now. A person may be in an uncomfortable place because there are forces and pressures keeping one there.  Start by looking in appreciation.

Ask questions about what is working well. Do this in work and with loved ones. You may find pain points, and you may discover a hard working system that serves many purposes.

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Do you have a clear vision of what you would like to do in five years?

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Tell me about your career change experience (research for my book): http://bit.ly/7YhcMK