As a new American president is sworn in, it’s worth remembering the traditional motto of the USA emblazoned on the new subway stations in New York: ‘E pluribus unum‘, meaning “from the many, one”. In other words, unity from a multitude. The USA has always represented a society of opportunity, enriched by a wealth of […]
Can We Avoid Catastrophe with a Network Vision of Enterprises?
Reality is made up of networks. That’s what we’ve come to understand thanks to contemporary science. This is as true for biology and physics as it is for our social, political and economic reality. However, most organizations haven’t yet learned to catch up with this fact on a practical level. What do we mean by a […]
Working With Systems: a Word Map
What are the key terms that indicate how we can work within and on systems? How can we sum up in a ‘word map’ the field of knowledge that is required? We produced a word map to accompany our glossary for ‘The Decalogue’ methodology that encompasses the approaches of W. Edwards Deming and the Theory […]
Protecting Projects from Chaos: A Tool
Projects can easily get out of hand. They are subject to the chaos that can arise when human interactions are not governed by precise guidelines. Entropy exists and it affects behaviours as well everything else. When we use the Transition Tree Tool to break projects down into actions we are protecting projects from chaos: at […]
Focus on The Goal, or How to Walk on a Tightrope
In business, and in life, there can be times when it feels as though you are walking a tightrope. Every step is hazardous. It’s a scary prospect and it takes great skill to keep your footing. While speaking to an entrepreneur recently we were reminded of the anecdote of a Rabbi who was confident that […]
Misunderstandings – How to Iron Them Out and Smooth Your Workflow
A huge amount of time and energy can be wasted in companies through misunderstandings. They cause blockages and delays because they create frustration and possibly resentment, and if left to fester over time they become chronic problems. Misunderstandings are poison when it comes to creating smooth workflow. So what can we do about it? Before we burn […]
Being a Positive Influence in Challenging Times
There’s a lot of noise and chaos out there. At times reality feels more like being King Lear in the middle of a cosmic storm than any kind of “normality”. (Acclaimed actress Glenda Jackson at the age of 80 is currently delivering a knock out performance as King Lear in London for those lucky enough […]
Performance Optimization and Interdependencies: When 1+1= More Than 2
What happens when more than one person or more than one thing work together in the same direction? Is the result just the simple sum of their efforts? The answer to this question is yes, but ONLY when the elements involved are independent of each other. In the theory of systems, the global “performance” of any […]
Remembrance of the Future: Brexit and Trump
Two major disruptions have happened recently that most people did not see coming. One is the Brexit referendum, something that is threatening the hard-earned unity of Europe, the other is the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States. It’s something to reflect on, especially today, Veterans Day in the USA and Remembrance Day, […]
Complexity and Leaders: Nixon, Frost, Bulworth and the USA Elections
At Intelligent Management we all share a passion for the movies. Two of the movies shown on TV during this 2016 presidential election week shed light on the complexity of American leadership and politics. On election day we take the opportunity to share a few thoughts on contemporary politics and society. Bulworth and the Ugly […]
