Revisiting (Again) | Change or Evolve in 2025? Commentary by Farrell Tan

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Back in 2020, I wrote about the tension between “change” and “evolve.” At the time, the big “C” dominated everything, and we were all asking ourselves: does real progress come from forcing change, or from allowing ourselves to evolve?

I shared a simple anecdote then: a teenager insisting his parents had changed him, while they countered that he had simply evolved i.e., picking what to adopt, what to ignore, and how to apply it in his life. It stuck with me because it’s true beyond families: people rarely change because someone else tells them to. They evolve because the environment nudges them, and because they choose to.

Fast forward to 2025. Different buzzwords, different fires to put out... but the same question is playing out on a much bigger stage. Do we change, or do we evolve?

Change is noisier than ever

In Southeast Asia, the forces of change are everywhere:

  • AI disruptions -- Malaysian SMEs are racing to plug in tools, while Singapore is already regulating usage. Too often, “AI-powered” gets slapped onto everything without a strategy.

  • Hybrid and borderless work -- Vietnam and the Philippines lean into flexible gig talent, while regional MNCs struggle to keep teams connected across time zones.

  • Sustainability pressures -- Thailand’s push on green supply chains and Singapore’s carbon taxes mean ESG isn’t just reporting; it’s compliance and competitiveness.

  • Generational shifts -- Gen Z now dominates the entry-level workforce across APAC, and Gen Alpha is not far behind. They want transparency, inclusivity, and meaning; and they’re willing to walk if they don’t see it.

Change today isn’t a polite knock on the door. It’s a battering ram.

Evolution is different

Change, in its rawest form, is knee-jerk. It’s the company rushing to put “AI” in a tagline, or the introvert forcing themselves into extrovert mode every meeting. It works for a while, but it’s exhausting and unsustainable.

Evolution, on the other hand, is slower, stickier, more deliberate. It’s:

  • Integrating AI thoughtfully: as a tool, not a gimmick.

  • Redesigning hybrid work so flexibility doesn’t equal 24/7 availability.

  • Baking sustainability into your supply chain, not just your annual report.

  • Shaping a workplace culture that younger generations can believe in, not just tolerate.

For organisations in APAC, this isn’t theory -- it’s survival

Incremental, evolutionary tweaks i.e., refining policies, nudging culture, streamlining processes, keep you relevant. 

Revolutionary leaps i.e., green innovation, AI-first thinking, borderless talent strategies, let you lead.

The trick is in knowing when to ease forward and when to leap.

And here’s the kicker for communicators

People don’t hate change. They hate change that feels dumped on them. Evolution, framed well, feels like progress. And progress? People can rally behind that.

At Orchan, this has always been our playground. Orchestrating change, the kind that actually sticks, is less about shouting “new direction!” and more about guiding people, step by step, into evolution. We’ve seen it with clients across APAC: those who evolve deliberately, not reactively, are the ones still standing tall today.

My conclusion, five years on

It hasn’t shifted much, but it’s sharper now: the winners in 2025 won’t be the ones who chase change the fastest. They’ll be the ones who evolve in ways that matter i.e., to their people, their communities, and yes, their bottom line.

Ready to evolve? Let’s talk.
Email: changenow@orchan.asia | Phone: +603-7972 6377


Original article: Revisiting | Change or Evolve?

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