Breathe and Adapt: The Yoga Philosophy of Organizational Change
In yoga philosophy, prakriti represents the fundamental material energy of the universe —constantly changing, adapting, and transforming. It exists in dynamic relationship with purusha, the unchanging consciousness or witness. When these forces interact, creation and evolution emerge. Fundamentally, organizations reflect this same interplay: they need both stable principles (purusha) and adaptive energy (prakriti) to transform effectively.
We've all seen the classic change management approach: create urgency and fear ("adopt this or we'll fail") and teams will magically change their behaviour.
Except they don't. They just get better at pretending.
Most change initiatives fail because they misunderstand the nature of organizations. They attempt to force transformation rather than work with the natural tendencies and energies already present —like trying to force a river to flow uphill instead of directing its existing current.
Holding Still: The Theater of Forced Change
Here's how the predictable five-act play of doomed change initiatives usually goes:
Leadership dramatically unveils “The New Direction”
Teams perfect the art of enthusiastic nodding
PowerPoint slides show beautiful adoption graphs
Old behaviours return like weeds after a light rain
Everyone agrees it was a tremendous success (while quietly building workarounds)
This pattern reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of how change works. Organizations are already in constant motion. Fighting this natural evolution by imposing rigid, artificial changes creates only resistance and superficial compliance.
Pivoting: Flipping From Push to Pull
The most successful change initiatives honour organizational realities. They recognize enduring principles while accommodating natural evolution and adaptation. Instead of forcing rigid implementation, they create conditions where teams naturally gravitate toward better approaches.
People don't resist change. But they do resist being changed. This distinction is crucial: humans naturally adapt and evolve all the time —we learn new skills, adopt new technologies, and change our behaviours constantly when we see personal benefit. What we resist is having our autonomy violated, being told what to do without understanding why, or being forced to abandon approaches we've found valuable. The resistance isn't to the new state but to the process of being forced into it without agency.
Creating Flow: Magnetic Change
How might we create change that aligns with natural organizational energy?
Showcase Early Wins: Success stories can be powerful motivators. I've seen cases where a team fully adopting a new approach —whether a design system or a development methodology, completed work noticeably faster and with better results. When other teams witnessed these tangible benefits, many became curious rather than resistant.
Reduce Friction, Not Options: Rather than mandating specific approaches, what if we focused on making better approaches easier to adopt? I've noticed that when a new documentation system or tool actually saves time compared to previous methods, teams often adopt it voluntarily.
Build Status Into Adoption: Recognition seems to be a powerful motivator. When organizations highlight teams using new approaches in company meetings or give them early access to new tools, the social dynamics appear to shift. Teams sometimes volunteer to participate rather than waiting to be forced.
Enable Local Ownership: The balance between core principles and local adaptation fascinates me. I've observed (especially with Design Systems) that when global initiatives define clear non-negotiables but allow teams to adapt specific implementations to their context, they often achieve better results than one-size-fits-all approaches.
Grounding: When Structure Matters
Of course, sometimes more structure and enforcement is necessary:
Regulatory Requirements: Some boundaries are non-negotiable, creating necessary constraints within which adaptation happens.
Actual Crises: Emergency situations require clear direction when there's no time for organic evolution.
Habit-Breaking: Sometimes organizations become so settled in established patterns that more direct intervention helps create space for new possibilities.
Sequencing: Design Systems as Choreographed Change
Design Systems illustrate this balance between principle and adaptation beautifully. They maintain consistent core elements while allowing contextual expression. They're not just component libraries. They're potentially powerful change management tools that can honour both consistency and responsiveness.
The ones that succeed don't just create standardization; they make good design easier than bad design. They provide enough structure to ensure alignment while offering enough flexibility for teams to meet their specific needs.
Balancing: A Program Manager's Stance
As program managers, we create the conditions for both stability and growth, much like the yoga practitioner who finds strength in structure and wisdom in flexibility. The best among us understand that successful change works with organizational nature rather than against it - finding that perfect balance between unchanging principles (purusha) and adaptive energy (prakriti).
What are you trying to change in your organization? And are you fighting against its natural energy or channeling it toward meaningful transformation?
