when people see relevant stakeholder change they are inclined to try to initiate responses to adapt. Thus we called these winning cultures “adaptive.”

emerging science—with a set of concepts and principles and tactics—has three major root systems.

The science of the brain's hardwiring gives us many insights on how to avoid this problem and seize the opportunities that more change brings us.

The mismatch between the reality of more change as the new normal and our inclination as human beings and organizations to look for stability has tremendous implications—perhaps most fundamentally that we need to further develop and use the emerging science of change or we risk peril.

The lesson from the current pandemic, and the high levels of uncertainty we are all feeling as individuals and organizations, is that increased rapid and complex change is becoming the new normal.

The third area is the actual study of modern organizations and the people in them trying to lead change, with commentary on outcomes and speculation about causality.

Too often, “leadership” and “management” are still thought of as positional (though the research on this point says it is not).

All this is to be contrasted with management, which might be usefully defined as the set of structures and policies and actions that enable systems of people and technology to operate reliably and efficiently, despite size, geographical reach, or other sorts of sometimes great complexity.

Leadership is about establishing a direction and vision for the future, aligning people around that vision, and then motivating and inspiring them to take action. Leadership mobilizes people to overcome significant barriers, create difficult change, and, in extreme cases, achieve truly astonishing results.