Large organizations are complex, and change initiatives inherently face an uphill battle due to the inertia (processes, multiple stakeholders, divergent priorities, etc.) that must be overcome. These barriers are present (to varying degrees) at all levels within large organizations, but they are especially daunting to individuals who do not yet have the combination of formal institutional power and a broad soft-influence network to impose change in the same way a senior executive or military officer is able to.
Motivated individuals with valuable ideas should not be discouraged. In the same way that great philosopher-scientists learned about the workings of life and human nature from studying nature, we too should seek knowledge and inspiration from the people we meet, the books we read, and what we observe in the world around us. In my experience, tactile analogies and extended metaphors create the emotional connection needed for learning to stick.
At its heart, making a group of people deviate from the status quo to try something different is readily akin to the physical process of “pushing,” “turning,” or “pulling,” even when one abstracts it in glossier terms about coalition building, leading from the front, etc. I think this is true in all scales, whether it is rallying support among indecisive friends about dinner plans or proposing a new technology venture at a Fortune 500 company. My high school wrestling coach explained that wrestling is about strategically applying forces (push, turn, pull) to redirect your opponent’s momentum in a way that helps you win.
While not everyone has personal experience in wrestling/martial arts, I believe that we have all seen large ocean-going vessels carefully shepherded into and out of port by tugboats. In this article, I explore and reflect on what the everyday workings of tugboats can teach us about leading smart change initiatives in our workplaces, communities, and personal lives.
While tugboats are far from mind for non-maritime professionals, we can learn a great deal about five key principles: (1) line of action, (2) using the right amount of force, (3) working together, (4) tenacity, and (5) timing. While I could have selected any topic to build an extended analogy around, I chose tugboats because these humble workhorses enable modern life (Fig. 1), and provide rich visual and physics-based analogies to explore.
1) Line of Action
Change is impossible (or will fail) if pressure is applied along an incorrect line of action. Tugboats must apply the correct force vector to achieve the desired result. In business, this means beginning with the end in mind and finding the right vector (or path) to achieve it. Based on your own circumstances, the contact point could be a key individual, a process, or a corporate value.
2) Using the Right Amount of Nudge/Force
Orchestrating change requires an appropriate application of force. Applying too much pressure is detrimental because it will irritate others, suggest a lack of "cultural fit," and trigger defensive roadblocks. For a tugboat, coming in too fast results in bouncing off the hull and/or getting damaged in the process and sinking. If too little pressure is applied, nothing happens because you aren't showing a sense of urgency or making it clear why your issue is more important than a list of others.
3) Work Together
Tugboats rarely work alone because complex maneuvers require multiple vessels to execute safely. The same is true in the business world about the need to build support among key individuals. A Stanford study on collaboration found collaborative efforts were 50% more productive than individual efforts.
4) Tenacity and Persistence
In physics, work is a path integral of force over some distance. Navigating the process gauntlet, building supporters, and willing something into existence takes personal courage and stamina, because there are rarely shortcuts. Furthermore, one will need to try different strategies to address difficulties that arise. In 2021, one of the world's most important shipping corridors (the Suez Canal) was blocked for 6 days after a container vessel, the Ever Given, became grounded and obstructed the passage. The vessel was eventually refloated after a tenacious multiprong effort.
5) Timing
An important life skill is recognizing the role of timing. Much like a seed requires good soil to prosper, change initiatives require suitable environments to launch (the right people, the right place, the right time, and the right external spark/business call to action). Malcolm Gladwell discusses the paramount role of timing in his book “Outliers.” While I personally favor active roles over passive ones, it is vital to not get emotionally attached to ideas that aren't viable right now. Sometimes all it takes is a change of supervisor or some external "spark" that changes the opportunity space enough for "tugboats" to persistently apply the right amount of force along the correct line of action at the proper time.
Closing Reflections as the New Editor-in-Chief of The Way Ahead
As the editor-in-chief of The Way Ahead for the 2023 year, I find myself fortunate to work with dozens of incredibly talented volunteers from around the world, especially Aman Srivastava (current deputy managing editor) and Thomas Shattuck (previous editor-in-chief and advisor). The world needs motivated engineers, scientists, business leaders, and policymakers to do more than cope with change—they must lead and define the change. It is my hope that readers find The Way Ahead to be a useful resource to empower your own personal and professional development. Together, I know that if we internalize the “tugboat” mentality, we will achieve everything we commit ourselves to.
