Systems can absorb pressure for years before something gives way. Then suddenly, what was once immovable shifts quickly. These seemingly sudden shifts, actually the result of accumulated pressure, are true windows of change: moments when constraints loosen and new possibilities appear. They can open after a crisis, a leadership transition, or even a quiet accumulation of experience where everyone knows something has to shift. What matters is recognising that a window has opened and that it will close again, usually fairly quickly.
This is the release–reorganisation phase of the Adaptive Cycle: when structures that once kept things stable start to dissolve, releasing resources and energy for renewal and change. In these moments, small actions can have outsized effects because the system is fluid and searching for new coherence. Sometimes we miss the chance because we focus on restoring the old system instead of shaping the next one.
Preparing for transformation means cultivating relationships and ideas before they're needed so we can act quickly when a window for change opens.
Something to chew on:
What patterns or conversations hint that your system might be ready for reorganisation?
Resilience Bites offers weekly insights from the Australian Resilience Centre, drawn from decades of work alongside communities across Australia and internationally. Each Bite explores an aspect of resilience and closes with a reflective question to chew on.
Across the series we'll explore themes that shape resilience in practice, including place, patterns, networks, leadership, learning, feedbacks, thresholds and the deeper work of change.
This series is for people working in communities, landscapes, systems and change. It will help you explore key resilience concepts, apply them in practice and build our collective capacity to create resilient futures.
To learn more about the Australian Resilience Centre and explore our work and services, please visit https://www.ausresilience.com.au/
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