In an organization, what s most exciting and innovative often isn t found at the center, but rather where that organization interacts with the environment, the community and with other organizations. Change agents in organizations tend to be those not heavily vested in the way things currently get done. These individuals can be an organization s greatest assets when there is a need to solve a new problem or to achieve an outcome in a new and different way. An organization can best become a learning organization if it s able to function at the edge of chaos. If the dynamics of an organization are too steady, orderly, static and striving for equilibrium, it will not undertake the changes that adaptability necessitates.
Edges are a powerful metaphor in our culture.
From the leading edge to the cutting edge, we re reminded that if we divert our eyes from the center if even for just a moment, we open ourselves to new possibilities, understandings and growth. Doug Kievit-Kylar is a Pollution Prevention Planner with the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. Article posted for the week of July 3, 2000.