We recently saw introduced the notion of Holacracy in discussions about an innovative IT platform. Holacracy removes traditional managers and job titles. Zappos introduced it in the belief that this new structure would allow them to grow in a way that is less rigid and bureaucratic. While this may be a move in the right […]
The End of Silos – Building Organizations Fit for Our Times
If organizations need to learn anything today it’s how to overcome silos. Silos are the number one enemy of productivity and competitiveness. They also seriously threaten the quality of life of employees. A recent article by former Navy Seal Chris Fussell ‘The battlefield experience that made me realize the danger of silos and isolated teams’ is a […]
How to Increase Your Energy Level at Work – a Systems View
When Intelligent Management first started working with American firms over 15 years ago we couldn’t help noticing differences in working habits. We were impressed by the dedication and work ethic, but it quickly became apparent that those 6am meetings meant that by 4pm people were fried. However, when the CEO goes to the gym at […]
The Traditional Hierarchy Organization Doesn’t Work Anymore
Why are people still stuck in adopting a traditional hierarchy and functional organization structure when there are clearly so many drawbacks? When organizations are created and organized in a matrix of vertical hierarchy and functions, an inevitable consequence is the existence of a series of “walls” or divisions that inhibit the resources involved in producing an optimal […]
Complexity – We Can’t Work in Silos to Solve Systemic Problems
It may still not be obvious to all organizations and corporations, but they urgently need to come to terms with complexity and its implications. Most organizations are already feeling complexity biting but they don’t know how to identify it or how to manage it. That’s not surprising. The term complexity is often misunderstood. It doesn’t […]
How to Create a Unifying Vision and Plan
How do you take a group of separate companies and/or individuals all with different backgrounds and skills and get them to contribute towards a project? How can they have a unifying vision and plan to work on together? Together we stand It’s hard to get any group of people to agree on something even when […]
Why Business Education is Failing
Dr. Deming said it years ago – MBAs teach students to raid companies, not to manage them. In her new book Makers & Takers: The Rise of Finance and the Fall of American Business, Rana Foroohar, assistant managing editor at Time, points a finger at business education. She states that in spite of the increase in people studying […]
How Can We Solve the Urgent Crisis in Project Management?
How many things in our lives are affected by poor project management? We probably can’t even imagine. Time, resources and money are wasted every day around the globe when projects fail to deliver. When it comes to IT, this is an urgent problem. Our lives depend increasingly on software and digitalization is causing that dependence […]
Variation in Processes: The Time it Takes to Sell
Everything we do in an organization can be considered as a process. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: whether we realize it or not, every process is affected by variation. We need to understand and manage this phenomenon of variation in processes if we want to achieve the best results. Let’s look at […]
Four Essential Qualities for Leadership in Today’s Complex World
Times are changing fast and leaders need to adapt. We have evolved far beyond a simple situation where people just need to be told what to do. What does it take to be a leader in today’s complex word? We give four essential qualities required for 21st century leadership. Number One: A leader must have […]
