From Pattern To Purpose

Beyond the pattern

At first glance the structure dominates attention with its intricacy, form, and order. It draws the eye and holds it there. But that is not the destination. It merely adorns the wall on the way, making the journey more enjoyable.

In organisations, processes, frameworks, and established ways of working can have a similar effect. They create stability and coherence, and support the delivery of the mission.

Over time, however, familiarity can cause attention to stall. On a route you travel every day, the artwork fades into the background and is taken for granted. At work, the same thing happens. Attention shifts to maintaining the pattern rather than asking whether it still serves its purpose.

What changes things is a conscious choice. Someone has to stop and ask whether the current way of working is still helping the work move forward. Progress often begins there. Not by breaking the pattern, but by deciding whether it still makes sense to keep following it.

Clarity emerges when attention shifts from how things look to what they enable.

David R. Smith