Wikipedia says a catalyst is anything
that “accelerates a reaction, without itself being consumed or changed.”
Dictionary.com says a catalyst is:
- A substance, usually used in small amounts relative to the reactants, that modifies and increases the rate of a reaction without being consumed in the process.
- One that precipitates a process or event, especially without being involved in or changed by the consequences.
According to Wikipedia, “The presence of a catalyst increases the reaction
rate…by providing an alternative pathway with a lower activation
energy.”
A catalyst seems to be (or
create) the path of LEAST resistance.
It’s objective.
It’s used in small
quantities.
It requires expending less
energy than other methods of activation.
It is not consumed by the
process it enables.
Maybe change agents aren’t
catalysts.
While the metaphor may
only go so far when applying it to organizational change, I fear many of us change
agents lose our objectivity, are consumed by the reactions we are attempting to
enable, and create resistance rather than minimize it.