The power of language

Checking in for the flight to Perth this morning in Singapore there was a problem getting my loyalty card into the system. The check-in Clark for Singapore airlines had to go and get help which upset those behind me in the queue. When he came back I asked him if it had been difficult. His response was that it was complicated, then he quickly corrected himself and said No I mean complex. Now that was a shock, I have been working in Singapore for several years now to establish that key difference in language. Complicated systems can be engineered, there is a right answer, complex systems in contrast need an evolutionary approach.

Changing language is key to getting new ideas adopted, then that change permeates all levels of an organisation you know that change is happening.