The times they are a changing?

In continuing to think about change, John Stossel's 20/20 report on spontaneous order was quite thought provoking. While disconcerting from a leadership standpoint in that it argues a leader is irrelevant, the idea that people, organizations, or societies can often function just as well if not better without meddling was interesting. The metaphor of the skating rink is the premise for the report which draws on this article by Daniel Klein, specifically focusing on economics.

A foil to this concept would be portrayed in the movie Crash, which basically argues that the only way we know that we are alive is when our ideologies, races, sexes, etc, crash into one another with dramatic consequences.

It seems if change is inevitable, the major considerations are who leads the change, and what changes, and when, and why, and how? Change for the sake of change can be just as ineffectual as otherwise outdated processes or procedures. Having clear and measurable indicators of success can help determine whether the change was successful or not.