Tension is not the problem. It’s the signal.
Why discomfort is often the best data you have in a complex system.
The presence of tension doesn't mean something is wrong. It means something is real.
In the world of organisational life, we often treat tension like a red flag. A threat. A friction point to smooth over.
But here’s the reframe we invite you to consider.
Tension is not the problem. It’s the signal.
In adaptive, human systems, tension shows up when something is trying to shift - but hasn’t fully arrived yet. It reveals where identities are evolving, strategies are misaligned, or cultural norms are bumping up against emerging needs.
Rather than rushing to resolve or smooth over that discomfort, what if we tuned into it?
Let’s explore how this shows up through the lens of the three communities we work most closely with at DISCO:
For change makers … tension is your compass.
You live in the in-between.
You hold space for systems to shift - often while being in those very systems yourself.
Tensions for you might look like:
Belonging vs performance pressure
Strategic intent vs legacy structures
Human-centred care vs operational speed
You feel these currents before others name them. You often are the one naming them. And your role isn’t to fix the tension… it’s to hold, interpret, and facilitate through it.
When an initiative stalls, or a cultural change gets patchy traction, you’re likely not doing anything wrong.
You're surfacing what the system is trying to become.
Practice Tip: Use tension mapping with your team. Identify 2–3 tensions you’re holding and explore what they’re trying to reveal about the current state of your org.
For Leaders … tension is where leadership lives.
As a leader, you’re constantly navigating polarities.
Should you push forward or pause to reflect?
Do you meet the moment with structure or curiosity?
Tension shows up in your daily reality as:
Clarity vs complexity
Results vs relationship
Doing vs enabling
The old playbooks don’t apply when you’re navigating change, building trust, and adapting with people.
Tension isn't a signal that you’re failing.
It’s a signal that you’re leading.
Practice Tip: Try naming the tension in the room, out loud. For example:
"I can feel we’re pulled between delivering quickly and doing it collaboratively. Let’s name that and explore what trade-offs we’re willing to make."
It builds trust. It makes space. And it models the kind of leadership the future demands.
For organisational transformation … tension is strategic feedback.
At scale, tensions show up as competing priorities.
They’re often misread as dysfunction when in fact they’re signs of healthy system pressure.
Growth vs sustainability
Centralisation vs autonomy
Innovation vs control
Future readiness vs operational load
When mismanaged, these tensions become power struggles.
When ignored, they become disengagement.
But when recognised and reframed, they become feedback loops - pointing to where coherence is needed most.
Transformation Tip: Map the tensions inside your strategy and culture. Which ones are polarities to manage, not problems to solve?
Use that as a diagnostic to realign your systems: roles, rituals, rewards, rhythms.
Why this matters now.
As workplaces evolve, our capacity to hold and interpret tension will shape the difference between burnout and breakthrough, between fragile transformation and sustained change.
Alignment doesn’t mean “everyone doing the same thing.”
It means navigating tension together, with clarity and coherence.
At DISCO, we believe that the most flourishing organisations don’t avoid tension -
They learn to read it, respect it, and redesign with it.
What invisible tension are you noticing right now?
In your team? In yourself? In your strategy?
We’ve developed a unique Tensions Sliders tool as part of our comprehensive Alignment work.
Drop us a message if you’re ready to tune into the signals.
Katy Cooper is an experienced Futurist, trained through The Institute for the Future, POLI-Design at Milan POLI.technic and Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies. She has also studied Disruptive Innovation with INSEAD. She holds a Graduate Diploma of Management (GradDipMgt) from Australian Institute of Business. Katy is an exceptional Experience Designer and Facilitator. She helps organisations and communities build strategic plans and leadership capability for a future they can’t see yet through her foresight-driven, whole systems design practice.