Flying Thoughts

Intriguingly counterintuitive. What?

Well most smart things.

For me it's depressingly easy to identify cases of the wrong problem having been solved really well. So well in fact that the effects caused by the first wrong thing being solved have now been solved too - by layers of additionally annoying 'sticking plasters' - solutions to the initial incorrect diagnosis. The result is a stuck, layered, systemic mess of stinking proportions - held in place by armies of folk defending it all. That’s because they either were or weren't responsible for the creation of this hairball in the first place. Systemic Stupidity as I call it.

I'm talking about every level of business and western society when I describe this phenomena. Elinor Ostrom a professor at Indiana University and Nobel Laureate describes the systems we see and often suffer from as ‘polycentric’.

This is an important concept to understand.

Fundamentally she means that in an ideal state - multiple public and private organisations at multiple scales jointly affecting collective benefits and costs. A system where many elements are capable of making multiple adjustments for ordering their relationship with one another within a general system of rules where each element acts with independence of other elements. That makes sense.

The key word/idea here is 'capable'.

This capability or lack of is completely at the heart. To me for capability read thinking. Joined up and collective thinking that can avoid this rubbish and cause the kind of transformation business and society is crying out for. There are lots of eager folk describing the state of play when it comes to the need for better 'thinking' these days. Illustrating a gymnastic need for leaders to hold multiple paradoxes in their heads - complex data and seemingly impossible conundrums.

Complex systems are a fact of life and to add further complexity within all these systems of things Elinor describes 'nested attributes' - critical pools of activity within the system itself. Meaning that there can be very significant sub-systems happily operating with little connection to the whole system for most of the time. But very very important that it exists in the grand scheme of things. Imagine when sweeping national dictates come along and ignore this happy little community doing it’s thing for all the right reasons. Insanity.

What to do?

Reading, as I do often, what the great minds say about all manner of things. It's increasingly obvious that there is energy around the case for dismantling best practices, challenging traditions and developing a new language for us to turn this tanker.  Get at the root causes of systemic stupidity. A note of caution - let not what emerges, new tools, techniques - this new language be a fig leaf for the old thinking carrying on under new management. New language has a habit of being slammed as ‘speak’. Challenge the following trendy but true - for example.

Just a few simple changes  - a new approach to thinking. How brave is your firm?

Develop scenarios - the likely, the possible - the worst case. Have quality conversations - forcing questions – they are vital tools if your teams are going to stay afloat in these times.

Co-creation and collaboration internally and externally - versus - command and control management.

Messy non-linear relationships between things - versus - traditionalist line of sight - cause and effect thinking.

The need for context over the point (or focussed) solution – avoid solving the wrong problem really well.

Patterns and connection versus the well trodden historical evidence - data is king - hmm well maybe.

Breakthrough creativity and radical innovation - versus – evolution/more of the same.

Comfort with paradox, conundrums and seeming chaos - versus - a long-term plan.

Curiosity and freshness - versus - certainty.

Simples.

All important if we are to avoid systemic stupidity but will we? Will anyone?

Posted via email from Just Thinking!