The paradoxical theory of change holds that the more you try to make change happen the more likelihood there is of things staying the same. Planned (intentional) change disrupts the principles of ‘natural order’ in organisations and things can get stuck. There's a tendency to focus attention at the level of the individual or the team but sometimes 'difficult behaviours', conflict and repeating patterns are actually manifestations of something amiss in the system.
Adding to the complexity, there are few work places these days where collaboration isn’t on the horizon. Whether as a result of mergers, joint ventures or partnerships, teams and organisations have to work together for a variety of reasons. To reduce duplication, improve services, promote sustainability and, in some cases, to ensure survival.