Has this ever happened to you?
In professional conversations, it has often happened to me (and still does) that someone asks: “So, are you more theoretical or more practical?”
The implicit assumption is that theory doesn’t contribute to action… as if there were necessarily an irreconcilable opposition between the two.
It is true that many theoretical notions bring little value to everyday life in a company. For instance, Schumpeter’s theory of creative destruction hardly informs a manager’s daily actions, even when they need to innovate or adapt to the effects of innovation on their teams.
But the question is relevant if we distinguish clearly between the purpose for which a theory was formulated and its actual field of application.
Applying theory effectively in practice
A theory is often formalized to describe a logical model, a causal sequence, or simply an aspect of reality deemed important. It also helps simplify and retain key insights.
Its purpose or field of application is straightforward: ask yourself, “What are we really talking about? What is at stake?” This allows you to determine whether the theoretical approach is useful or whether a different aspect is at play in the action.
A theoretical approach can be highly fruitful, as long as this quick discernment is made. It becomes powerful because you act consciously on certain levers to achieve a desired effect.
This does not prevent, once the action is completed, taking a step back to identify what made it succeed (or partially succeed) and thus create new criteria for future challenges.
A vision of the person at work and how they use their two main faculties
An applied example of this back-and-forth between theory and practice shows that leaders better manage change impact when they organize not only opportunities for teams to understand issues and action principles, but also moments to process associated emotions—whether positive or negative.
These practices rely on a theoretical vision of a person at work, particularly how they mobilize their two main faculties: intelligence (our ability to understand and discern) and willpower (our ability to want, to commit… or not, to like… or dislike).
Based on this perspective, here are a few suggestions on how to effectively drive managerial action during change.
Key guidelines for acting effectively during change
As a manager, the more you create opportunities for people to exercise their intelligence—to truly understand what is at stake, the consequences of everyone’s actions, and to leverage their experience—the higher the chances of achieving change objectives.
Mobilizing willpower is trickier and where many leaders struggle. It’s not just about creating moments where managers ask their teams if they want to follow them in a new initiative.
It is also about acknowledging potentially negative perceptions of new actions (and giving space to express them to reduce them), and taking concrete steps to generate higher levels of collective energy—energy that the leader will need to overcome obstacles during change implementation.
Even if this perspective may not “resonate” with many leaders and managers facing complex transformations, it can be reframed as: What am I doing, as a leader or manager, to strengthen trust and agility precisely when these qualities temporarily vanish in my teams, just when I need them most?
Curious to learn more?
I hope this has sparked your curiosity by revealing a bit of theory on these subjects… while the main focus of a leader or manager is practice.
My goal was to show that a theoretical understanding of people, confronted with real-life business situations, allows for deeper and more effective action in times of change—and to make you curious about practical ways to act on these sustainable value levers.
In short, this back-and-forth between theory and practice is so natural for me that I am always surprised when someone asks me this question.
And you—has anyone ever asked you this?
