Embrace Complexity or Fall Behind

For complexity thinkers, or people who want to embrace complexity ideas, the Planning/Strategy nexus is the entry point.

Because the strategy discipline is the largest, both physically and temporarily, of the management disciplines, it is the first domain where the complexity problem/opportunity becomes apparent.

Planning (and Control) are closed system isomorphies.

Strategy is an open system isomorphy.

The two are mutually exclusive.

When you are wearing your non-linear spectacles (you get a complementary instruction sheet on how to build your own pair in chapter two of New-Radical Management) you will start to see that what is true for strategy is also true for the entire management project.

Think of physics as a metaphor. The effects of Relativity only becomes apparent at speeds approaching the speed of light, at slower speeds Newtonian physics is a close enough approximation. In the business world, classical management theory supplies a close enough approximation to what is really happening. But as the world becomes more inter-connected and energised, non-linear effects are becoming more apparent and closed system ideas (reducing the system) will provide no big new solutions.

No new solutions are available to the closed system thinker. But open up the system (loosen it) and the system exhibits more non-linear characteristics - and you can influence these to explore endless new opportunities.

Reduce it, the H-BS (H-BS is a meme from my book) will show you how to do that.

Loosen it, and in New-Radical Management, I will show you how and more importantly why, you should embrace complexity... for the complex future.

You can mix your metaphors, I do it all the time, especially in the footnotes to New-Radical Management. But you can't mix your isomorphies - at what speed will the new-radical economy be efficient? What speed are you going?

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