We are becoming increasingly aware of the need for collaboration and cooperation. This is not yet the mainstream for management and organizations, but the more complexity becomes the backdrop and context of what we do and experience, the more we need to find up-to-date ways to exist within that complexity. Is it just about being […]
Tools for Meaningful Meetings with Purpose and Results
People spend an inordinate amount of their lives in meetings. More often than not, these meetings do not achieve satisfactory results, despite best intentions. Our time on this planet is finite and none of us can afford to waste time that could be dedicated to achieving something meaningful. There is something about getting a group […]
What If We Need Intelligent Emotions More Than Emotional Intelligence?
We know that intelligence and emotions are not the same. Certainly, people may be capable of great intellectual prowess but be cold and unfeeling. Other people may be kind and generous without having any particular academic inclination. While there may be extreme cases, most of us, and especially leaders and managers, live with the delicate […]
Innovation and Technology – A New Curriculum for Managers and Leaders
There is a lot of noise in our world today about innovation, particularly technological innovation. Undoubtedly, technology is a powerful aid to sustain transformation, but we need to understood what innovation really means. As we complete our series on a new curriculum for managers and leaders, we have to consider the question of innovation and technology as a […]
New Skills for Managers and Leaders (that Business Schools are Not Yet Providing)
We continue our series on what is needed today for leaders and managers that Business Schools are not offering. In the 21st century organizations need to shift away from the artificial limitations of traditional hierarchies and silos and this change does require a cognitive shift. As we pointed out in our previous post, people within the organization […]
A New Curriculum for Business and Management
Our business world is changing rapidly. Complexity dominates and old solutions no longer work. Some refer to this as the ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’. Given all these changes, it is remarkable to see that MBAs are offering much the same program content as 20 years ago. We believe that a radical change is needed in the […]
Transforming the Organization into a Whole System
Most organizations (and business schools) are lagging behind the times as they still work in silos, missing completely the challenge and opportunity of the complexity that now dominates our world. We need to manage organizations as whole systems. Those who don’t know what that entails need to catch on, catch up and embrace a new […]
It’s a Wonderful Life – If You Change Your Thinking
In our blog we talk about issues that affect organizations. However, those organizations are made up of people in families, and at this time of the year people enjoy family time but many suffer the repeated frustration, hard work and negative emotional undertow of the “festivities”. Does it have to be that way? It doesn’t […]
Systems Thinking in a Milan Taxi
The World Expo took place in Milan this year and brought hundreds of thousands of people to visit the city. It’s a city I lived in for many years so I know its appeal and pitfalls well. While taking a ride to the airport in Milan for a London flight this week, a chat with […]
Creativity – the Opposite of Reliability and Predictability?
It is a week where a European country, France has declared it is at war. Elsewhere in the world just recently thousands of people argued on social media about a Starbucks cup. It’s hard at times to keep a sense of balance and where our attention needs to be. So much noise and so much […]
