Tricky Times

We are in a period of transition. As with any major change, we have to let go of what is familiar without knowing exactly what the future holds. This is a confusing betwixt-and-between time, when things are neither what they were, nor what they will become. Anthropologists call such between-times liminality.

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Information for publishers

About the book:

In Tricky Times, Jitske Kramer unravels the complexities of transformations and cultural change.

Fascinated by the myriad changes impacting our world and universally fierce emotions they are arousing, best-selling Dutch author and anthropologist Jitske Kramer set out to unravel the patterns of this liminal time. In clear language she describes the opportunities, the dangers and the lures during major changes. When wild stories confound, tricksters continually toy with truth and power relations shift.

We are lost in a trickster culture. We hail the best spinners of truth as heroes and now have Jack Sparrows as CEOs and Pinocchios as political leaders.

Tricky Times is an unsettling book that will have you seeing society, and yourself, with fresh eyes. A book of insightful interpretations and personal views. Sharing lessons Jitske learned on her travels in diverse cultures. Offering a vision on the kind of leadership needed in liminal times. And an urgent book, because we can and must do better. We have work to do.

Navigating through uncertain times is a tricky business. It takes fearlessness and faith.

Taking the knowledge and tools of anthropology, this book delves into the patterns and dynamics of major change. Anthropology has the ability to illuminate and lay bare things we knew but could not yet put into words. In Tricky Times; Navigating the Messy Middle of Change, Jitske Kramer unravels the complexities of cultural change. Focusing particularly on what happens in the uncomfortable, turbulent, precarious and messy middle—when we know we cannot go back to how things were, but also can’t yet clearly picture what’s to come.

“Jitske Kramer combines deep, penetrating analysis with a style of writing that is widely accessible. Tricky Times offers a thought-provoking diagnosis of our current condition but also indicates ways out of it. It deserves a wide readership”

Bjørn Thomassen

Professor in Global Political Sociology at Roskilde University.

“Jitske Kramer doesn’t simply describe the modern experience of burgeoning cultural change that is infected by tricksters and false prophets, she also offers sound advice for handling it all. In these times of relentless uncertainty, one thing is certain: we need this book.”

Robert Cialdini

Author of Influence and Pre-Suasion

“Jitske Kramer offers a completely original, challenging, and practically useful take on change. Tricky Times has the power to transform you and your organization. Approach with excitement!”

Stuart Crainer en Des Dearlove

Founders Thinkers50, “The Oscars of Management Thinking” (Financial Times)

“In a world where the ability to adapt is paramount, Kramer's insights provide a valuable compass for anyone seeking to lead through the complexities of transformation.”

Erin Meyer

New York Times bestselling author of No Rules Rules and The Culture Map

“Jitske Kramer is the most important thinker you never heard of yet. Tricky Times will be her breakthrough.”

Joris Luyendijk

Journalist, anthropologist and author of Swimming With Sharks

“If you want to understand these tricky times, you need to read Jitske Kramer!”

Thijs Launspach

Author of Crazy Busy

“If you read but one book this year, let it be Tricky Times by Jitske Kramer. Rich, enlightening, confrontational, entertaining, multidimensional, sharp, insightful, and wise. Big changes are going to come, be prepared.”

Ronald Giphart

Writer

“It is everything you wish for in a non-fiction book. Well-written, with new insights and concepts. Jitske Kramer shows that there are hopeful answers for chaos and crisis.”

Daan Roovers

Philosopher and former Philosopher Laureate for the Netherlands

“A striking and extremely relevant book about these times, a liminal period towards a new way of living.”

Herman Wijffels 

Former chairman of the Dutch Social-Economical Board, and professor Sustainability and Societal Change

What others say about Jitske: “Jitske Kramer is one of the most inspiring speakers in the Netherlands. She provokes you into thinking deeply and speaking out. She gazes into the depths with flair and courage. Looking for surprising new insights and their practical applicability. Unifying and forceful.”

About
Jitske Kramer

Jitske Kramer travels all over the world to learn from traditional healers, leaders, surprising innovators and random passers-by. She is a corporate anthropologist, an inspiring speaker, entrepreneur founder of HumanDimensions. In 2013 Jitske was chosen as Trainer of the Year. She is known for being the bestselling author of Tricky Times, Deep Democracy, Jam Cultures (about diversity and inclusion), Work has left the Building and co-author of The Corporate Tribe (2016 Management Book of the Year). She brings worldly knowledge and experiences back to the world of organizing, cooperation and leadership through challenging keynotes and masterclasses.

To improve the strength and results of individuals and groups (and to make the world a more beautiful place). She has the ambition to activate organizations to be wildly attractive to everyone and everything. In her stories, what is familiar gradually becomes strange. And what is strange becomes familiar. It is her quest to understand how we can build strong cultures, safe for diversity and ready for change. In her talks and books she shares her experience and research into these topics.

“If we are not careful, we hail the best spinners of truth as heroes and get Jack Sparrows as CEOs and Pinocchios as political leaders”.

Tricky Terms

The book Tricky Times is about the opportunities, dangers and temptations of the in-between times of change. The terms liminality, tricksters (M/F/X) and the idea that we are culturally lost play an important role here. As these terms are new to many, herewith a detailed explanation of all three.

The messy middle: opportunities, dangers and lures during liminality

“Liminality is an extraordinary time when old stories crumble and new ones emerge. When what was is gone and what will be is still unknown. It is a time of chaos, uncertainty and untold possibility. An in-between time filled with opportunities, dangers and lures.

This is where we fail to press on to the integration stage, put off taking decisions and never act on ideas, and so end up hovering at the threshold, neither here nor there. We know we ought to change, but don’t. New initiatives are just variations on the old. Carving out a new identity proves impossible. We try to blunt or buffer the pain and emptiness we feel, instead of rooting it out and resolving it, leaving underlying problems to fester.

We may even blame our state of affairs on each other, making conflicts boil over and thwarting any form of reconciliation. Street demonstrations grow endemic, border conflicts keep on claiming lives, divorces inflict years of agony and, try as you might, you cannot get past the death of a loved one. Resolution, completion, closure: these things are essential.

Instead of genuinely transformative rituals, we go for the rush of the electrifying experience without the pain that comes with real change. Modern societies often lack the clear group rituals that build ties and guide transitions.

Often, we don’t take the time to delve deeper, preferring to sidestep the discomfort of change. We prefer things to be fun and inspirational. This leaves us with activities that offer the thrill of a liminal experience but fall short of transformation. These kinds of liminoid activities keep us dangling, like experience junkies, in a state of permanent liminality.

Faced with ambiguity and uncertainty, we are tempted to believe the most outlandish stories, explanations and solutions. There is a real danger when people flood social media with crazy messages that pit camps against each other. New divisions gain purchase more easily during liminality, and if we don’t know the exact story, we make one up. If everyone around you is in panic mode, your body is swift to react.

Much as we like to think we direct our own thoughts and behaviour, that’s not entirely true. Emotions, behaviours and narratives are contagious. We copy what others do far more than our ideal selves would care to admit. But during liminality our usual points of orientation are thrown into doubt, leaving us unsure just who or what to trust and emulate. In extraordinary times we are open to extraordinary stories, even if they are beyond belief. We can’t help it. Storytelling is what makes us human.

Who seduce us with pretty words and fixes that are too good to be true. We are always susceptible, but much more so in liminal times. Tricksters are both wonderful and despicable. They twist boundaries, juggle facts and fictions, and so craft new realities. Sometimes, with disastrous effects. They lure us with the promise of privileged knowledge. They pin blame on everyone but themselves and scheme to make others take the fall when things go wrong.

Tricksters are seducers, charlatans or villains who defy you to stick to your own moral compass. We all have trickster tactics of our own and can often tell when others are using them. Tricksters push through boundaries and tread on hallowed ground. Everything the trickster does is out of bounds and against the rules, yet by tearing things and people apart, they also clear spaces for new situations and fresh possibilities.

Take Robin Hood. Hero or thug? Tricksters force us to think hard about our moral compass. They are brilliantly creative and essential for change, but, with too many of them, things get stuck. This is a problem we are seeing in many places. We have come to confuse trickster logic and tactics with leadership competences, drawing tricksters from the fringes into the very centre of power. And that is getting us into big trouble.

Because: who gets to shape the new narrative, who pays the highest financial price of change, and who profits? Transformation calls for bold leadership. It calls for decisions that go beyond personal interests. Fundamental changes always bring about shifts in power and reshuffle rankings.

While it is tempting to cling to what’s familiar, if the status quo becomes untenable or unpalatable for enough people, it can lead to frustration, friction and, potentially, aggression. For there to be a peaceful transition to a new situation, those in charge have to be willing to change, too. Actively, but also by stepping down from or sharing power, rank and privilege. Which is awfully hard for people to do.

The blurring of boundaries in the liminal space creates more room for everything, also for the darker side of human nature. People may do things they would normally never dare to. Brilliantly innovative things, but also transgressive behaviours such as verbal abuse, physical aggression and substance overuse.

Alternatively, people may be seized with indecision and apathetically wait for others to act. We need individuals who can create and hold spaces so we don’t feel fearful to explore our boundaries. Particularly because we tend to be lousy communicators. Innovation hinges on people sharing ideas, even and especially if those ideas cause sparks to fly. Interaction and decision-making are how humans build cultures, but all the liminal emotions churning around are hampering our ability to do that now, just when it matters most.

We like things to be set in stone straight away and feel pressured to quickly hammer out solid plans, to know the end goal from the outset, and often lack the guts to leave room to let some magic in. It’s much harder to have faith that new paths will present themselves to you along the way.

Not by waiting around for lightening to strike, but by keeping your eyes open, meeting new people, experimenting with new options, asking and listening deeply. The challenge for our modern cultures is to let ourselves be liminal. To feel our emotions and to tap our imaginations. To create and to craft things into existence. And to have the courage to tune into our own magical powers.

Finding our way out of the maze: lost but not forsaken

When faced with major changes, we must rethink old ways and question established truths, often feeling lost amid cultural narratives and existential fears. While this experience feels unique, humans have tackled big transformations before. The universal patterns of liminality help us navigate these transitions.

“Tricky Times” is a field guide for navigating liminal space, offering direction in ever-changing situations, rather than a step-by-step roadmap with concrete tips.

Jitske kramer
on stage

Nordic Buisness Forum Helsinki

32:00

Organizations as Purpose Driven Tribes

41:00

Message to
International Publishers

Do you believe our new book fits your portfolio and want to share it globally? We are open to discussing collaboration opportunities to make this story reach readers worldwide. Let’s connect!

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