A System is a network of interdependent components that work together (to try) to accomplish the aim of the system. A System must have an aim.

Over the last 70 years, virtually every field of human endeavor has gained insights and deepened understanding by applying the methods of investigation originally developed within the framework of Systems Theory.

A common denominator of all these studies is the realization that everything is interconnected; the pattern of these connections gives rise to “emergent properties” which often do not belong to the individual components making up the system. Network Theory is the rapidly evolving body of knowledge that accounts for the explanation of these emergent properties hence unveiling the utmost relevance of patterns in the understanding of complex phenomena.

This website explores some of the ramifications of a systems approach to the management of organizations inspired and informed by the work of Dr. W. Edwards Deming (Theory of Profound Knowledge - TPK and Dr. Eliyahu M. Goldratt (Theory Of Constraints TOC). It builds up on the work originally developed by Lepore and Cohen aimed at integrating TPK and TOC, The Decalogue.

It does so by trying to elucidate upon the foundational elements of philosophical and scientific knowledge underpinning The Decalogue as well as connecting it to a larger realm of understanding.

We call Intelligent Management the interconnected set of intuition, understanding, knowledge and behaviors that shape the way we should act when we try to manage in a complex environment.

Complexity, for the scope of this website, is originated by the formal and informal network of interdependencies that is spontaneously created in any organization by the many communities of practices that have to be leveraged in order to carry out successfully the work of the organization.

The evolution of such networks is highly nonlinear and has multiple feedback loops; like any human network, the links are created by the conversations taking place and such conversations, through language, originate the culture of the organization. These conversations define the semantic structure that holds the organization together. Like a membrane for a cell, the semantic boundaries associated with language represent the enclosure of any organizational system.

The “life” created by the cognition process inherent in these conversations is what enables the success or the failure of any organization. Such conversations are critical for the effectiveness of the functioning of the organization and need to be sustained and encouraged by the leadership in order to flourish. The role of the leader goes beyond encouragement.

A leader must possess a theory that caters for human inclinations and emotions and a practice that helps him/her shape the right pattern of emotional evolution for the people in the organization. A leader must create an image of the future for his people in the organization but at the same time must foster in them the ability to own that future. The role of the leader is to leverage the power of the network to increase the ability of its people. These abilities must be grounded in meaningfulness and such meaningfulness is determined by shared understanding of its context. In other words, a leader must provide for a “tailor made” growth of their people.

In order to be productive, the network of conversations cannot be stifled by a rigidly hierarchical/functional organizational structure that prevents their development. At the same time, they must be orderly and linguistically conducive to precisely defined goals. In other words, their entropic content must be managed. Tackling the issue of a suitable organizational structure becomes mandatory if we want to face the challenge of complexity and plant the seed for ongoing improvement

The conceptual solution we propose is neither a new design nor it is a creative anarchy. Rather, it is the unveiling and formalizing of the network-like nature of work. By recognizing and managing an organization as a network of projects we overcome the inherent conflict that exist between any conventionally formalized structure and the potentially devastating, chaotic, nature of un-managed conversations.

The theory, practice and tools for creating such an organization are presented in the companion book to this website, Sechel: logic, language and tools for managing any organization as a network.