Apply Change Buffers

Fill a two-quart container with manna to preserve it for your descendants. Then later generations will be able to see the food I gave you in the wilderness. Exodus 16:32

In his blockbuster book Future Shock, Alvin Toffler observes the rapidly accelerating pace of change in the 1970s and suggests that one way to mitigate the damage of such upheaval is to apply “change buffers.”

Change buffers remind us that some things will never change, thus providing stability and relief.

Perhaps your organization is experiencing a period of rough water. Maybe a lot of change is happening, and folks feel as if they are wandering in the wilderness.

You can buffer them against the ravaging effects of too much change by recalling stories from the company’s past. Show them that the water will eventually become smooth again.

The preserved manna gave the Israelites hope for the future by reminding them of the past.

Whenever you introduce a dramatic change, provide a buffer by also emphasizing the things that will not change.