Introducing change-itsu: the art of gentle, adaptive change

As someone who loves words, I’ve been noodling with this new word I’ve coined – change-itsu.

It describes the art of gentle, adaptive change.

It’s delivering change that respects the principles of calm and respect while being attuned to the people experiencing it. The name is Inspired by jujitsu, the Japanese discipline of martial arts which means gentle art.

Change-itsu is about moving with intention rather than force, meeting people where they are at, and responding with flexibility instead of rigidity. It’s a mindset that treats change not as something to impose, but as something to guide, in a gentle yet skillful way that takes into account human pace and emotion.

Change-itsu blends two essential elements: gentleness and adaptability. Here’s how:

Gentleness

This is rooted in empathy, connection and co-creation. With brain-friendly change. It aligns to how our brain is wired to avoid threat and seek psychological safety. Brain-friendly change honours our natural instincts and invites people to participate in the process rather than being jarring and pushing them through.  

It’s about lowering cognitive load and making change feel more like a guided movement than an abrupt interruption or intervention.

Adaptability

This acknowledges that no two changes are the same. While understanding that while a change framework offers a solid foundation, we also recognise that it needs to remain flexible to consider the human experience and nuances, along with unexpected bumps. It’s about reading the environment and adjusting to what will work and letting go of an attachment to our own judgement or a sequence simply because it’s in the ‘playbook’.

It’s structure with flexibility, discipline with flow.

Together, these elements of change-itsu offer a philosophy of change that respects both the science of the brain and the art of working with people.

How has change-itsu worked for you?