What is the real difficulty that we face in wanting to create a true learning organization that overcomes the hierarchical/functional structure and replaces it with the far more suitable network of projects? The real issue here derives from the mental barriers that prevent individuals and organizations from working together as a system for a common […]
How to Manage Decentralized Work – Out of the Crisis Series Part 4
Making the best use of the resources we have in a sustainable way was always necessary, but it became dramatically evident and urgent following the Coronavirus crisis. The lockdowns that forced organizations to carry on working outside their normal locations accelerated a major change that was already taking place – the shift towards digital and […]
Vital Insights from Managing Variation and Constraints – Out of the Crisis Series Part 3
Putting new knowledge to work: Managing Variation and Constraints Stamp out the fire and get nowhere. Stamp out the fires puts us back to where we were in the first place. Taking action on the basis of results without theory of knowledge, without theory of variation, without knowledge about a system. Anything goes wrong, do something about it, […]
A Serious Knowledge Gap Affecting Leaders and Executives – Out of the Crisis Series Part 1
Introducing this series We decided to publish this series to comment on what we see as urgent leadership issues. The multiple global crises the world is experiencing are highlighting a serious knowledge gap affecting leaders and executives. This gap leaves them unprepared to interpret and respond with speed to complex, non-linear phenomena. It is nothing […]
The Words We Use Can Change Our Reality – Shifting to a Systems View
This morning I spoke to a highly accomplished, bi-lingual woman who works in software. We agreed that the words we use when we work can have an enormous impact. For example, in her environment, the word “project” has acquired a stigma because of the pain associated with it so now she talks about “initiatives”. This […]
The Human Constraint – Going Beyond What We Think Is Possible
Our lives today are filled with unprecedented levels of rapid change and complexity. Unintended consequences can quickly emerge from inadequate leadership thinking, so we must urgently learn to think not just in a “joined-up” way but in a systemic way. This means developing the skills to: understand and analyze our current reality, as individuals and organizations; […]
Building Company Culture with Process flow
Building a company culture based on the principles of Quality, Involvement and Flow is not just about nice words. Together, these principles form the basis of a highly operational way to create an organization that satisfies the customer and the people working within it. It’s been our privilege over the years to help many companies work […]
Transforming to an End-to-End Operating Model with a Whole System Technology
As Dr. Goldratt has pointed out, a technology is only of use when it removes a limitation. Here in Part 7 of this series, Dr. Domenico Lepore introduces the journey that led to a new technology for transformation. Our Journey: Ess3ntial My partners and I were not born digital; let’s say we all have vivid […]
A New Perspective for Business Management
As more and more companies cope with staff working from home and the possibility that offices will never again be the way the were, the times have never been riper for a complete rethink of business management and the way we work. But it’s not enough to have interesting ideas or suggestions. It requires a methodology, […]
Continuous Innovation and Finding Breakthrough Solutions in Turbulent Times
September is here and it’s time to move forward with the insight and understanding gained from months of upheaval. For many, this period has been devastating, for others it has opened up new opportunities. When the virus erupted back in March, we at Intelligent Management, like so many other businesses, were hit hard as most […]
