Recognising The Need for Change
- Jasmine Surapati
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
Too often, organizations wait until the pain is visible before moving. By then, it is expensive, disruptive, and harder to turn around. In today’s fast-changing environment, waiting is not a strategy. Leaders must sharpen their ability to recognize the signal when change is necessary and act early.
What signals trigger change?
Signals are early warnings that the organisation must adapt. They may point to new opportunities that can be seized or risks that, if ignored, will grow into larger problems. Recognising them early is what allows leaders to move with clarity and control.
Where do signals come from?
Signals can come from two directions. Externally, they appear in shifting regulations, market conditions, demographic trends, or new technologies. Internally, they show up as slowed decision-making, bureaucracy creeping in, or cultural misalignment that holds teams back. Leaders who scan both environments see the full picture.
Why does early recognition matter?
Timing determines impact. Leaders who act early stay ahead of competitors, prevent small issues from escalating, and build resilience for future challenges. Those who delay are forced into reactive decisions that are slower, costlier, and more disruptive.
Who is responsible for recognising change?
Recognition is a leadership responsibility shared across the organisation. Business heads, HR leaders, and team leaders each play a role in scanning the environment, observing internal dynamics, and translating signals into timely action. No single department can carry this alone.
When is the right time to act?
The best time is before problems fully emerge. Research shows change follows predictable patterns. Strebel’s Cycle of Competitive Behaviour (1996) highlights how industries move between phases of innovation and efficiency. Greiner’s Organizational Life Cycle (1972) shows how each stage of growth produces a crisis that requires adaptation. Leaders who understand these patterns know when to step in.
How can leaders build recognition into practice?
Scan both the external environment and internal operations regularly.
Know your organisation’s growth stage to anticipate the next challenge.
Watch for signs of industry shifts between innovation and efficiency.
Act before small cracks become crises.
Change does not begin with a project plan or a big announcement. It begins with awareness. Leaders who consistently ask the right questions: What, Where, Why, Who, When, and How, build the clarity and confidence to guide their organisations forward.
At ALVIGOR, we help leaders navigate change before it disrupts, build readiness across their teams, and act with confidence.
👉 Ready to navigate change in your organisation? Let’s start the conversation with ALVIGOR.
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