Category: Complexity
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From VUCA to CIRCA: A Leadership Lens Grounded in Lived Complexity
In recent years, acronyms like VUCA, BANI, TUNA, and RUPT* have gained traction as shorthand for the turbulent world we live and work in. They give shape to the storm — volatility, brittleness, unpredictability, and anxiety — helping leaders name…
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Beyond the Buzzwords: Reframing VUCA, BANI & Co. Through a Complexity Lens
Strategy has always been tough. Even in stable, predictable times, making long-term bets, aligning stakeholders, and navigating uncertainty wasn’t for the faint-hearted. But in recent years, things feel different — the ground is shifting faster, and the maps we’ve used…
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Why Leaders Crave Predictability
Predictability is a cornerstone of effective leadership. For leaders, especially in complex or high-stakes environments, predictability offers a sense of control and security in an otherwise dynamic world. It enables them to plan, allocate resources, and communicate with confidence, reducing…
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Sensing and Responding: Lessons in Agility from Walking on Ice
Agility isn’t just a framework or a set of principles—it’s a mindset that helps us navigate uncertainty with confidence. As I walked on an icy pavement recently, it struck me how much the experience mirrors the essence of agility: sensing…
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Business Agility and Simplicity; a Mission Impossible!
Check out the video of my talk at Agile Business Conference 2021. I was invited to speak on the fourth day of this long-standing agile conference. Day four of the conference is where we explored the theme of Business Agility,…
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Embracing Complexity in Product Management
I’ve spent the day preparing materials on navigating complexity for a bespoke workshop. I’ll be working with a cohort of product managers and product owners from DWP Digital’s product management community of practice in the coming weeks. The workshop is…
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Why Traditional Approaches Fall Short in Addressing Complexity
Traditional problem-solving approaches, honed during the industrial era, assume that the world operates in predictable and linear ways. These approaches rely on breaking down problems into smaller parts, analyzing each component, and reassembling them into a solution. While effective for…