Navigating Change in the Age of Modernization: Seeing the Unknown
By Vik Kapoor
We rely on leaders to see around corners. But what happens when there’s too much unknown? Celebrated General and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Colin Powell, used to have a personal rule about his decision-making. He determined that he only needed between 30% and 70% of the available information in order to make an important decision. How does that land on you? If you are in that window and grasping for more data, is it possible you might be waiting too long?
The Johari Window
The Johari Window helps teams categorize what is known and unknown. During rapid transformation, the “unknown unknown” quadrant expands — shifting budgets, new AI initiatives, hiring freezes, changing reporting lines. Most conflict does not stem from malice. It stems from someone acting on incomplete information and not properly discounting their assumptions. This model helps you visualize and bucket information., thereby helping you evaluate your assumptions.
Workplace conflict example:
A rumor circulates that a team will be downsized due to automation. Tension surfaces. People retreat into defensiveness and meetings become cold. By explicitly identifying what is known, unknown, and assumed, leaders shrink the fog. Transparency prevents interpersonal deterioration.
Bad news rarely damages trust the way ambiguity does.
Try this with an issue or decision that is on your mind:
- Draw out the Johari Window and bucket the information you know and don’t know
- Find a way to remind yourself that you are acting on imperfect information
- Think of creative ways to ask the right question or otherwise gather the right information to help you shrink the number of unknowns
The Eisenhower Matrix
The Eisenhower Matrix categorizes tasks into: do now, schedule, delegate, or eliminate. During change, everything can feel urgent — especially when priorities shift quickly and leaders fail to communicate what can wait.
Workplace conflict example:
Two departments receive conflicting deadlines due to a merger of units. Stress spikes. People blame one another rather than the system. A quick Eisenhower prioritization session with leadership removes noise, reorders deadlines, and aligns expectations. Urgency gets lowered with more clarity.
Teams don’t burn out from hard work. They burn out from confusing work or juggling too many critical things at once.
| Urgent | Not Urgent | |
| Important | Do | Decide / Schedule |
| Not Important | Delegate | Delete / Drop |
Try this when you are exploring what tasks or decisions to focus on:
- Draw out the Eisenhower matrix
- Bucket the tasks/decisions on your plate according to their urgency and criticality
- Identify which ones can be prioritized (both urgent and important), and which can be pushed back (those not urgent or important; then those that appear urgent but are not important)
This week we covered two models to help you. Come back next week for Part III on leading through emotion.
Change is inevitable, but how organizations navigate it determines what comes next. At MWI, we help people and organizations turn challenges into opportunities. Learn more about our services at mwi.org.
