As a new year begins, reasons for fear and uncertainty are multiplying: the devastating effects of the climate crisis, threats of military action, accelerating polarization and blatant incompetence in prominent leaders in various countries. These are all symptoms of a world that is struggling to adapt to increasing complexity and interdependence. Far from being an […]
Celebrating a Year of Disruptive Thinking
As 2019 comes to a close, all of us at Intelligent Management send our warmest wishes to those who have taken the time to read our work. We are proud to have concluded another year of disruptive thinking. It is not disruption for the sake of it, but the creative disruption that comes from challenging […]
Changing How We Think Business for the Digital Age
We were recently asked an important question following an article of ours about the dangers of linear thinking: “I can see how organizations could get stuck in one way of thinking as it often happens. How can organizations avoid being linear while forming their strategic plan?” At Intelligent Management we take a systemic view of […]
Educating Executives for Systems Leadership in the Digital Age
The Managing Director of the World Economic Forum recently published an article called ‘Why the World Needs Systems Leadership, Not Selfish Leadership’ The article concludes: The self-important don’t always win. Selfless leadership can create systemic change that spreads happiness – instead of hoarding it. At Intelligent Management we have been educating executives to be Systems […]
How to Take the SWOT Analysis to a Whole New Level
This week, a client of ours drew up a SWOT analysis and it turned out to be a very productive event. The SWOT analysis tool has been around for a very long time. The Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats categories are comfortably familiar to many as a way of brainstorming and analyzing the current reality of […]
Why Projects Complete “Sooner or Later”…
What is a project? It’s a word that everyone is familiar with but it can mean very different things to different people. This can lead not just to misunderstandings but to intrinsic unreliability in delivery. In other words, far too many projects in the world get delivered “sooner or later” with all the knock-on negative […]
The Limiting Beliefs Holding Your Business Back – and What to Do About It
If a business is not growing, it’s shrinking. It’s a hard truth to accept. There is no such thing as standing still because plenty of other businesses are moving forward. Even if your market share increases, how much is it increasing in proportion with the growth of the market? So what is it that holds businesses […]
How to Do New Product Development Seamlessly with a Systems Approach
Any organization that wishes to innovate must be able to develop new products. The ability to develop new ideas, and new products in particular, can be stimulated and increased systemically by addressing the “cognitive limits” of the organization using the Thinking Processes from the Theory of Constraints. The capacity to continuously innovate has become a […]
A Systemic Skill to Create Economic Sustainability that Businesses Must Learn
Every business today shares a legitimate desire: to achieve not just economic success but economic sustainability. But we are living with unprecedented uncertainty. The world is changing at such a pace that it seems almost impossible to stay abreast of the shifts. While there are young companies that seem to grow exponentially, we can […]
Principles for Uncertainty to Guide Leaders Today
The threats of the 21st century are real – environmental, economic and social. It’s a challenging reality for everyone and it puts an even heavier burden on the shoulders of those who are in leadership. When faced with what feels like unprecedented uncertainty, how can leaders get a grip? How can they exercise any form […]