At first glance, laughter might feel like the enemy of professionalism. Yet, history tells a different story: institutions don’t collapse from humor, but from self-importance. When rigidity and pride replace openness, creativity and resilience quietly fade.
Let’s explore why disruption matters, how space for chaos fuels growth, and why listening to unexpected voices may be the best survival strategy for institutions today.
Whenever a person or an institution starts taking itself too seriously, something somewhere quietly shuts down.
Solomon Deressa, Ethiopian Poet.
1. Self-Importance: The Silent Barrier to Growth
The slow death of many organizations begins not with financial losses, but with mindset shifts. When leadership believes their way is unquestionable, listening stops and innovation stalls.
Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness is largely a matter of conscious choice.
Jim Collins
According to McKinsey (2024), companies that cling to rigid hierarchies are 30% less likely to adapt to market disruption. That statistic highlights a painful truth: self-importance blinds institutions to new opportunities, while humility keeps them flexible.
Institutions don’t die from laughter. They die when they become too self-important to adapt, too rigid to listen, and too fearful of disruption.
The path forward is clear: encourage laughter, invite chaos, and honor unexpected voices. In doing so, institutions not only survive but thrive in a world that rewards curiosity over arrogance.
2. Disruption and the Value of Controlled Chaos
Chaos doesn’t always mean instability; sometimes, it signals growth. Netflix challenged Blockbuster by embracing digital disruption, and today, streaming dominates entertainment. Similarly, fintech has reshaped banking, forcing traditional institutions to evolve or risk irrelevance.
The World Economic Forum (2025) reports that organizations actively encouraging disruptive thinking are twice as likely to report above-average growth. Chaos, when invited and managed, acts as an engine for reinvention.
Disruption is not destruction — it is often renewal.Every account of a higher power that I’ve seen described, of all religions that I’ve seen, include many statements with regard to the benevolence of that power. When I look at the universe and all the ways the universe wants to kill us, I find it hard to reconcile that with statements of beneficence.
3. Unexpected Voices: The Key to Future-Proofing
Institutions that silence dissenting or unconventional voices risk becoming echo chambers. Yet history shows that breakthroughs often come from outsiders.
- Steve Jobs, returning to Apple, reimagined technology and consumer culture.
- A young schoolteacher’s social media posts helped spark the Arab Spring, reshaping global politics.
Author Margaret Heffernan reminds us: “For good ideas and true innovation, you need human interaction, conflict, argument, debate.” By creating space for diverse voices — especially uncomfortable ones — institutions secure resilience and relevance.
