Organizational development practitioners are shifting from episodic change to continuous change processes to enhance adaptability in increasingly turbulent environments. Although some researchers tend to present episodic and continuous change processes as mutually exclusive, both appear to be different perspectives of the same phenomena:

• Episodic change processes provide a macro-level perspective on planned processes leaders implement to address failings, threats, or opportunities.
• Continuous change provides a micro-level perspective on the unplanned change processes that naturally occur through the dynamic interaction of people, processes, technology, and the environment.

This article compares episodic and continuous perspectives on change, concluding that understanding the definition, theoretical foundations, and practical applications of both provides leaders with a more complete picture of change that helps them to manage adaptability in turbulent environments.

Have you ever tried to tell a punchline without telling the joke? The results are rarely what the aspiring comic expects. The same thing happens with people and organizations who attempt to take action, implement tactics, live life without a mission. When nobody gets it, the question becomes not “what is the joke?” but “who is the joke?”