Emergence and Complexity

August 25, 2022

5 questions to ask in the struggle to achieve pre-covid service levels.

“Business as usual” has little meaning in today’s world.

After the impact of the COVID-19 lockdowns and disruption to supply chains and labour markets, you might be considering how to rebuild your business.

Reconsider your purpose as a starting point and ask 5 questions.

If there was only one thing you could do to re-establish/grow/improve your business, what would it be and how would you make it happen?
If there was only one thing you could focus on to improve your own personal performance, what would that be and how would you make it happen?
What market signals or messages are you not listening to or not confronting and how will you respond to them?
What three things are going right for the business and how can you capitalise on these?
What is the purpose of your business? Do your answers to the first four questions support that purpose?

Spence and Rushing argue that believing deeply in your purpose is the way to build and nurture your business. Look at every decision, big and small did you make and ask whether or not it will support or subvert your core purpose. Focus on purpose, and keep in mind why you are in business and profits will follow. Keep in mind what you are fighting for.

Spence R M and Rushing H (2011) It’s Not What You Sell,
 It’s What You Stand For: Why Every Extraordinary Business
 Is Driven by Purpose.  Portfolio Trade ISBN-10:1591844479
 See Page 295

September 21, 2021September 24, 2021

Resilience is life-long learning – a lesson from Covid

Uncertainty is a commonly used word today. Uncertainty creates stress – and the uncertainty in our private and work lives is escalated in a world being transformed by a pandemic that comes in waves.

In this uncertain world, there is a lot of encouragement for us to develop a resilient mindset. It’s almost as if resilience is a silver bullet – something you can take to get you through the hardships. However, I have observed a few things over the last week that have caused me to stop and think. We need to be realistic about resilience. Many people are finding it tough. Here are a few thoughts.

It’s okay to acknowledge and say you are not coping.

June 21, 2020June 21, 2020

Management as a Wicked Problem | the problem space evolves as you progress into the solution space.

I have mulled over this post by Thierry de Baillon and Ralph Ohr for some time – see : Business Model Innovation as Wicked Problem | Sonnez en cas d’absence

It highlights for me the importance need for managers to understand emergence and complexity. The article (and accompanying material) is well worth a thorough read – still an important contribution.

The post states:

An ever increasing pace of change leads to a decrease in life time of operating business models. Companies are therefore forced to reinvent themselves more frequently by creating new business models. Entering new businesses through open business model innovation exhibits a wicked problem structure. In order to properly address those problems, companies have to follow emergent strategies and need to put decentralized, self-organizing structures in place. Social business brings an answer to the urgent necessity to successfully tackle corporate reinvention and to enhance strategic adaptability by connecting individual human stakeholders.

A critical issues, as pointed out by Thierry de Baillon is that the problem space evolves as you progress into the solution space.

It is no longer appropriate to put a business model in place and follow it slavishly: rather it needs to be dynamic and adaptive to emerging trends/activities/reactions.