What do the principles of Open Space really mean?
Most of us have participated in Open Space events, and I’m sure we had…
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When to Yank a System
Sometimes a system cannot be developed step-by-step over a series of nudges, because everything…
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Perspectives, not Facts
You may remember the Greek government-dept crisis in the aftermath of 2008. What kind…
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The Story of Allthings
My friend Stefan Zanetti has always been an entrepreneur, if not by title, then…
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The Sorcerer's Apprentice in a Knight's Armour
At the peak of the Middle Ages, the Mallorcan monk Ramon Lull wrote a…
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So many Fish in the Ocean - somewhere
I am sitting on a beach and watching the ocean. On rare occasions, I…
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Nudge the System, Wag the Dog
When we think about perception, our first question is whether it is true or…
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How to be a Servant Leader, Center Stage
I don’t like the concept of servant leader too much. I think it is…
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How to Achieve Aligned Autonomy
Imagine you are a shop assistant in a telco shop. A customer walks in…
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Are You Sure You Really Know How To Delegate?
One of the oldest methods to organise the division of labour is delegation. I…
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Instruction or Education? Complexity, contextuality, and the nature of help
As practitioners we are here to produce results in a specific context. How do…
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Managing for the Exceptional: the Ritz-Carlton Story
The problem with the exceptional is it doesn’t happen the same way twice. If,…
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Manage for the Next Possible Step
Many have pointed out that the word to manage comes from the Italian maneggiare, and originally…
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Robots Taking our Jobs Away? Think Again.
Imagine you are a farmer in a remote village in the woods. You are…
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Facing System Asymmetry
Imagine two groups of schoolboys in a class. In one group, they believe that…
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Avoid being a Servant of the Cult
In my work as a leadership trainer and adviser, I observe two ways in…
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