Physicists are educated to ask fundamental questions to understand the nature of things and to understand them in terms of energy and speed. What has that got to do with management, you may wonder? A great deal. An organization is a complex system where different forms of energy interdepend: human energy, mechanical energy, electrical and […]
Search Results for: network of projects
The Network of Projects –a Concrete and Operational Alternative to Deloitte’s ‘Adaptable Organization’
There is clearly something very wrong with the way most companies above a certain size are managed. They are fragmented, wasteful, slow, over-bureaucratic, unable to leverage internal talent, detached from their customers’ needs and, in most cases, a frustrating place to work. When a global crisis hits, these inadequacies become acute and a real threat […]
Freedom from the Trap of Silos through a Network of Projects
Many organizations still have traditional hierarchies and silo their people into functions. But the complexity of today’s reality needs something different. With the exponential growth of interconnections and interdependencies, a traditional organizational design can undermine productivity and sustainable growth. Here we summarize the organizational design we propose, based on two decades of international work, specifically applied to […]
The Organization as a Network of Projects
The Organization as a Network of Projects Recurrent and non-recurrent activities in an industry can be seen as “projects”. Whether we seek to improve the speed at which we manufacture products, install new equipment, organize shipments or file quarterly closing, we need the coordinated efforts of many different competencies. Deploying these competencies in a logical […]
Structuring the Network of Projects: Emotions and Algorithms
In this series we have illustrated our efforts to draw from network theory to enhance Deming’s Theory of Profound Knowledge and Goldratt’s Theory of Constraints. As an organizational methodology, it is conceptually intricate and its implementation requires a deep understanding of the Theory of Constraints. We hope we have raised and answered some questions, and […]
The Network of Projects – Driving Out Fear in the Post-digital Age
Is there an organizational design that can replace the artificial barriers and fear of the traditional hierarchy? Digital cowboys, the new generation of talent described in Pekka Viljakainen’s book ‘No Fear’ , reject the form and values of the traditional organization. We continue our series in response to Pekka’s invitation to outline how we at […]
Education for the Future of Work? Think Projects and Networks
Work is becoming increasingly project-based; the ability to navigate networks and work within a team towards the completion of simple and complex projects will be required of the future workforce. Unfortunately, we are still basing our education system today on models and content that were appropriate 50-100 years ago but that are no longer so […]
Educating for the Future: It’s All About Networks and Projects
Work is becoming increasingly project-based; the ability to navigate networks and work within a team towards the completion of simple and complex projects will progressively be what is required of the future workforce. Unfortunately, we are still basing our education system today on models and content that were appropriate 50-100 years ago but that are […]
Some Scientific Truths About Managing Projects You Won’t Learn from PMI
When it comes to managing projects, many people imagine things that are simply not true. For example, it is quite common to think that multitasking is more productive than working sequentially. The assumption behind this statement is that by carrying out more than one task at the same time, we can complete the project […]
A Buffer to Protect Your Organization and Your Projects
When managing an organization as a system, there are only a few factors that are important. One of these factors is the effective synchronization of the various activities in the organization. This is valid whether we are talking about production, projects, or any other process. In TOC (Theory of Constraints), successful synchronization happens when we […]
