successful adaptations are both conservative and progressive
'Successful adaptive changes build on the past rather than jettison it.
In biological adaptations, though DNA changes may radically expand the species’ capacity to thrive, the actual amount of DNA that changes is minuscule.
More than 98 percent of our current DNA is the same as that of a chimpanzee: it took less than a 2 percent change of our evolutionary predecessors’ genetic blueprint to give humans extraordinary range and ability.
A challenge for adaptive leadership, then, is to engage people in distinguishing what is essential to preserve from their organization’s heritage from what is expendable.
Successful adaptations are thus both conservative and progressive.
They make the best possible use of previous wisdom and know-how.
The most effective leadership anchors change in the values, competencies, and strategic orientations that should endure in the organization.'
