In a recent article about strategy and execution, Roger Martin writes in the Harvard Business Review: “To fix our problem with strategy failure, we need to stop thinking in terms of the brain-to-body metaphor. Instead, we should conceive of the corporation as a white-water river in which choices cascade from the top to the bottom.” […]
From Silos to System: the New Organization for Complexity
Why are organizations still plagued with all the drawbacks of silos? Because they still adopt a worldview that is out of synch with our times. In order to navigate complexity, organizations must shift from the obsolete, Newtonian worldview of individual, separate and hierarchical parts. What is the direction they need to adopt? Working towards a […]
How Much Truth in ‘House of Lies’?
House of Lies, a riveting award-winning TV series, is a scathing indictment of the world of management consulting. When you strip away the hyper-real excess of lust, luxury, greed and vengeance, what truth, if any, can we find? Beyond the entertainment value, there seems little that is real in the world of management consultant star […]
Uncertainty and Understanding Risk
A Deming-Goldratt take on Risk Management If we could predict the outcome of everything we do with mathematical certainty, then our lives would be much simpler. In reality, we exist within a complex web of interdependencies and such certainty is not possible. Hence, we live with uncertainty and its inevitable companion: risk. We perceive a […]
Risk: The Crippling Cost of Fear
No one can deny that risk exists. It’s the potential to lose something of value. It would be irresponsible to ignore it. The question becomes, what kind of decisional practice and behaviors are operationally and economically effective when it comes to risk in organizations? Operating from fear A recent article in Mashable about Google+ is […]
The Secret of Sustainable Wealth? It’s Not What You Think
Most people would like to be rich. After all, isn’t that the secret to happiness? The fact that in the wealthy First World increasing numbers of people struggle to get by, never mind thrive, is a major conundrum of our times. What if there were something that every single one of us can do to help? […]
Empowerment – How and Why
What do we mean by empowerment and why is it such a tricky matter? What tools can we use to make sure empowerment is done more effectively? In our last post we looked at the transformational nature of the Theory of Constraints. The road to transformation is paved with actions. In any organization, things need […]
The Transformational Power of TOC (Theory of Constraints)
Once you have understood and experienced the transformational power of the Theory of Constraints there is no going back. It changes your life in ways that you might not have imagined. This is true for individuals as much as it is for companies and organizations. Where does that shift come from? Today is the 4th […]
The Intelligent Management of Transformation
What is transformation of an enterprise, why do we need it and how can we achieve it? Dr. Domenico Lepore, Founder of Intelligent Management Inc. outlines how we can use our brains to make systemic change for a sustainable future. From exile to freedom: splitting the Red Sea Stupidity, as Dr. Deming has reminded us, […]
Complexity and Root Cause Analysis – Where Is the Link?
We’ve been asked how come we talk about complexity and also root cause analysis. Aren’t they incompatible? The answer is no, and here we explain why root cause analysis is your best friend in managing complex situations and environments. Why complexity and a “reductionist” root cause analysis are not incompatible Let me preface this post […]
