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Deliver in a complex adaptive emergent system
The world of work has changed
Customers want it all and want it now : better quality, better service, better experience. We need to help people in the organizations (often the employees) to embrace that constant change … Business agility as the answer.
Employees only see the top of mountain "Impact". Organizations hold the responsibility to help the employees see the road towards the top, towards having an impact. Organizations hold the responsibility to guide their employees on their journeys.
people over process
Happy people 12% productivity increase
Time is free : Time/day = 24 hours
Ai: the big disruptor
Ai will definitely and radically change the way we work. It has great potential to bring prosperity and value to the lifes of all of us. But when it disrupts our current system, it feels like a threat. We need to learn to navigate the Ai disruption.
"Complexity is the science of the 21st Century."
- Stephen Hawking -
The 21st century is often labelled as the Century of Complexity
because complexity of the socio-technological environment
in which we live and work has reached the level that no longer can be ignored
– complexity affects now all aspects of our lives.
We are all working in a complex adaptive emergent system
Adapt better to change
Industry has progressed throughout 4 stages: 1.0 to 4.0. There is a clear shift from efficiency to adaptability since technologies keep evolving. Given the higher complex challenges, there is a greater emphasis on empowering people.
The impact of the 4th Industrial Revolution on organizations, people and work processes is massive. Companies need to rethink how to connect with the knowledge workers, in an age where people are connected through ubiquitous technologies. Companies need to reinvent themselves in order to survive the fast-paced economy of today.
A company culture in which people can unfold, in a safe manner, get inspired for better innovation for the company. A company culture that wants to invest in making the smartest possible people, because they will thrive the company forward: it’s time we get a hold of this thing we call ‘culture’.
The typical operation models in business keep influencing culture. In the old age, organizations focused on doing things really well. Today you need to take all aspects into account. While in eastern economies, they have had a hard reset after World War 2, when they needed to rebuild everything from the ground up, Western economies drag forwards residues of previous industrial revolutions: optimize for performance and business versus adapt to getting the job done and delivering something valuable.
Framing effectiveness through a sense-making and decision making framework
Cynefin categorizes problems into 5 domains…
Obvious (formerly known as Simple) is the domain of best practices.
Characteristics: Problems are well understood and solutions are evident. Solving problems requires minimal expertise. Many issues addressed by help desks fall into this category. They are handled via pre-written scripts.
Approach: Problems here are well known. The correct approach is to sense the situation, categorize it into a known bucket, and apply a well-known, and potentially scripted, solution.Complicated is the domain of good practices.
Characteristics: You have a general idea of the known unknowns — you likely know the questions you need to answer and how to obtain the answers. Assessing the situation requires expert knowledge to determine the appropriate course of action. Given enough time, you could reasonably identify known risk and devise a relatively accurate plan. Expertise is required, but the work is evolutionary, not revolutionary.
Approach: Sense the problem and analyze. Apply expert knowledge to assess the situation and determine a course of action. Execute the plan.Complex is the domain of emergent solutions.
Characteristics: There are unknown unknowns — you don’t even know the right questions to ask. Even beginning to understand the problem requires experimentation. The final solution is only apparent once discovered. In hindsight it seems obvious, but it was not apparent at the outset. No matter how much time you spend in analysis, it is not possible to identify the risks or accurately predict the solution or effort required to solve the problem.
Approach: Develop and experiment to gather more knowledge. Execute and evaluate. As you gather more knowledge, determine your next steps. Repeat as necessary, with the goal of moving your problem into the “Complicated” domain.Chaotic is the domain of novel solutions.
Characteristics: As the name implies, this is where things get a bit crazy. Things have gone off the rails and the immediate priority is containment. Example: Production defects. Your initial focus is to correct the problem and contain the issue. Your initial solution may not be the best, but as long as it works, it’s good enough. Once you’ve stopped the bleeding, you can take a breath and determine a real solution.
Approach: Triage. Once you have a measure of control, assess the situation and determine next steps. Take action to remediate or move your problem to another domain.Disorder is the space in the middle.
Characteristics: If you don’t know where you are, you’re in “Disorder.” Priority one is to move you to a known domain.
Approach: Gather more info on what you know or identify what you don’t know. Get enough info to move to a more defined domain.
The boundaries of these domains are not hard. Based on activity, situations can bounce between domains or live on the borderlands between two domains.
Cynefin as a great conversation starter in leadership conversations. Don't forget that people LOVE solving problems.
Effectiveness in business dates back ages ago
Peter Drucker said, "Efficiency is doing things right. Effectiveness is doing the right thing."
Stephen Covey wrote the 7 habits of highly effective people, not the habits of efficient people.
Stephen R Cover: the 7 habits of highly effective people
"Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent
and not enough time on what is important."
- Stephen R Covey -
The book also explores the concept of effectiveness in achieving results, the need for focus on character ethic rather than the personality ethic in selecting value systems. As named, his book is laid out through seven habits he has identified as conducive to personal growth.
Independence
Habit 1: "Be proactive"
Habit 2: "Begin with the end in mind"
Habit 3: "Put first things first"
Interdependence
Habit 4: "Think win–win"
Habit 5: "Seek first to understand, then to be understood"
Habit 6: "Synergize"
Continual improvement
Habit 7: "Sharpen the saw"
What is effectiveness?
effectiveness
noun [ U ]
UK /ɪˈfek.tɪv.nəs/
US /əˈfek.tɪv.nəs/
the degree to which something is effective
“the ability to be successful and produce the intended results”
“the quality of being successful in achieving what is wanted”
as described in the Cambridge Dictionary
Effectiveness:
Do the right thing
it reflects Value
→ Value and Revenue focused
Efficiency:
Do something the right way
Tool → it is not a good
The effectiveness mindset
The effectiveness mindset focuses on:
Growth
the Creation of value
Achieving desired outcomes
(even at the expense of additional resources)
Outcome-drive
The efficiency mindset is focused on:
Reduction
Cost Saving
Minimize resources
Output-driven
Effectiveness Mindset ~ Growth Mindset ?
Effectiveness lives in the growth mindset: unlocking potential
Fixed Mindset
Avoid challenges
Refuse to receive criticism or feedback
Focus on proving yourself
Feel threatened by others' success
Can't accept failures or mistakes
Shy away from unfamiliar things
Believe that talent is static
Growth Mindset
View challenges as opportunities
Embrace constructive feedback
Focus on the process, not the end result
Be inspired by others' success
Learn and grow from failures
Always step out of the comfort zone
Believe that talent is always-improving
Less but better: choose outcome over output
Knowing what to provide, is the real hard work: "If I only had an hour to chop down a tree, I would spend the first 45 minutes sharpening my axe."
We have to relearn that in the sphere of organizations.
The first value of the Agile Manifesto:
Individuals and Interactions over Processes and Tools ...
PEOPLE over PROCESS
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