--- title: "You Either Manage Change or It Manages You: Richard H. Carson on how change actually works — The Coordination Tax" description: "Richard H. Carson, PhD — 40 years inside county governments, regional planning agencies, nonprofits, and the state of Oregon — on why every organization has a risk manager but almost none has a change manager, and what that asymmetry costs." url: https://www.in-parallel.com/podcast/you-either-manage-change-or-it-manages-you-richard-carson --- Leadership Insights # You Either Manage Change or It Manages You: Richard H. Carson on how change actually works Episode notes ## The conversation, captured **Date** October 20, 2026 **Participants** Kristian Luoma Richard H. Carson The Coordination Tax is a podcast by In Parallel about what actually breaks down when teams stop sharing the same reality. In this episode, host Kristian Luoma sits down with Richard H. Carson, PhD — a 40-year veteran of county governments in Oregon and Clark County, regional planning agencies, nonprofits, and the state of Oregon, who holds a doctorate in change management and is the author of the book at bookofchange.com. His argument is that every organization employs someone to clean up after disasters, almost none employs someone to see change coming, and that this one asymmetry explains why organizations lurch between crises instead of adapting. The conversation runs from a lesson about listening he learned from his own wife, through why the major change models since 1947 rarely work, the board that was itself the problem, and the case for a change manager alongside the risk manager, to working across cultures and what to do when change is managing you. ### Summary - Every organization employs someone to clean up after disasters. Almost none employs someone to see change coming. - Listening is the hardest skill for ambitious leaders — a lesson Richard first learned from his wife: "I want you to listen." - Most of the major change management models published since Kurt Lewin founded the field in 1947 are consultant loss leaders rather than real frameworks. - The real problem in a change initiative often sits with the board or the CEO who commissioned it. - Every organization needs a change manager — a proactive counterpart to the risk manager, looking over the horizon. - You don't want yes-people around you. - Don't leave fingerprints: in a high-visibility role, keep a low profile and let the change belong to others. - Diagnose organizations the way physicians diagnose patients — before you prescribe. ### What was discussed Learning to listen Story - The lesson Richard learned from his wife - "I want you to listen". - The manager who made people report their activities in 15-minute increments. Why change management hasn't changed since 1947 Key insight - Kurt Lewin founded the field in 1947; most models since are consultant loss leaders. - Richard's three-phase, ten-step model, built on a diagnostic tool adapted from the US National Institute of Health. When the problem is at the top Story - The nonprofit board that was itself the problem. - Why you don't want yes-people around you. Risk manager vs change manager Key insight - The asymmetry nobody notices - someone cleans up after disasters, nobody looks over the horizon. - Keep a low profile - "don't leave fingerprints". Why change initiatives fail Highlight - Change management in government versus the private sector. - Why leaders have to get out of the office. - Being direct across cultures, learned over years with Japanese investors. Diagnosis, mistakes, and taking back control Highlight - Diagnosing organizations like physicians diagnose patients. - What Richard got wrong in his 30s. - The first thing to do when change is managing you instead of the other way around. ## Links Richard H. Carson, PhD on LinkedIn: [linkedin.com/in/richard-h-carson-phd-mpa-7030b213](https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-h-carson-phd-mpa-7030b213/) Book of Change: [bookofchange.com](https://bookofchange.com/) In Parallel: [in-parallel.com](https://www.in-parallel.com/) The Coordination Tax Index 2026: [download the report](https://www.in-parallel.com/coordination-tax/#report) ## Listen [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uu3_ZHzBDbI) ### Get new episodes in your inbox One email per week on execution intelligence, team coordination, and enterprise AI. No fluff. By subscribing you agree to our [Privacy Policy](https://www.in-parallel.com/privacy-policy). Unsubscribe anytime. 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