I was just watching a series of DVD lectures titled, “Understanding Complexity” by Professor Scott Page of the University of Michigan. In one of those lectures, he discussed the differences between positive feedback (doing more of a thing gets you … Continue reading
In a conversation with a colleague, we were talking about the ways one would know that someone would be a valuable team member. Among other things, we agreed that the following would be powerful indicators of the team member we would like work … Continue reading
“Be careful what you ask for – you just might get it.” This saying, and others like it, have been around for a long time. A number of different maxims attest to the power of establishing goals. “What gets measured … Continue reading
“Houston, we have a problem.” That statement, initiated by the astronauts on Apollo 13, galvanized people from all over the world into action. Their heroic actions resulted in the safe return of the astronauts. Once the astronauts returned home, a … Continue reading
While sipping frosty alcoholic drinks, a colleague remarked on what he perceived to be a significant opportunity in his leadership team – the need for urgency. I asked him to explain. He observed that while his team did everything he … Continue reading
Many people have heard the old adage, “If I give you a fish, you eat for a day. If I teach you to fish, you’ll eat for a lifetime.” In this article, we’d like to propose that traditional learning and … Continue reading
In today’s frantic and frenetic world, there are always more things to do than there is time to do them. The issues and opportunities at work are daunting. Doing one’s best no longer seems to be good enough. “Do everything … Continue reading
Conceiving of organizations as complex as well is complicated, has implications for those who are trying to help those systems move towards desired objectives. Complex systems are non-linear; that is, they do not function in “cause and effect” relationships, outputs … Continue reading
In our earlier explorations of “the Complexity Space,” we introduced the concept of “ecosystems.” Ecosystem Dimensions are the deep patterns and structures that create the initial conditions for operation and change in complex adaptive systems. They are difficult, if not … Continue reading
It’s easy to say “yes” to ideas and suggestions that intuitively make sense — especially when others are doing the same thing. Unfortunately, that way of thinking — the “No one ever got fired for hiring IBM” approach — doesn’t … Continue reading
