While working with a startup group of entrepreneurs, the notion of writing a mission statement came up. While this is a common practice, it can often lead to a bunch of meaningless words. There is a much better way of setting the course of an organization. Setting the direction There is nothing more exciting that working with […]
Archives for September 2017
Leveraging the Path of Least Resistance for Organizations
Which path is the easiest way to get from A to B? The path of least resistance, one that provides the least resistance to forward motion among a set of alternative paths. Look at the way raindrops make their way down a window, for instance. The path of least resistance is a familiar concept from […]
Building and Operating an Organization as a Sustainable System
In this post we look at how we can build a sustainable system, how we can operate as a sustainable system, and the results this will help us achieve. What would happen if everyone came to work and just did their own thing? Even with the best of intentions, this would not be a great way to get results. That’s why […]
Network of Teams – A Cognitive Ordeal?
Last month we published ‘Team of Teams – a Systems View‘ that garnered quite a bit of attention. The subject of teams is a hot one. Articles on the matter abound, like this one from Deloitte, ‘ Organizational Design – The Rise of Teams’ According to Deloitte, “Businesses are reinventing themselves to operate as networks of […]
Freedom from the Trap of Silos through a Network of Projects
Many organizations still have traditional hierarchies and silo their people into functions. But the complexity of today’s reality needs something different. With the exponential growth of interconnections and interdependencies, a traditional organizational design can undermine productivity and sustainable growth. Here we summarize the organizational design we propose, based on two decades of international work, specifically applied to […]
Complexity in Financial and Economic Systems – Adding Clarity
Complexity is all around us, but do we really understand what it means? And how are financial markets and economic systems affected by it? In this post, Dr. Giovanni Siepe takes a systemic perspective. What is a system and what does complexity mean? There are many conversations taking place about complexity and complex systems. In […]
Learning to Fly High – What Leaders Can Learn from the Air
How do we know things? Largely through our senses and our experience. Fire burns, sugar tastes good. As Seth Godin recently put it, “We’re hardwired to believe and understand the things we can actually experience.” Soaring with science If we relied on our senses and on our hearts instead of our educated minds, we would […]
Change or Don’t Change? Embracing the Choice
There is a fundamental conflict about change that we all face throughout our lives. If we can verbalize it in a general way, then we have an opportunity to deal with it every time it haunts us. If there is one thing we know we will face in life for certain, it’s change. From day […]
