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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
If it’s so spectacularly effective to manage an organization around a constraint, why doesn’t everyone use the Theory of Constraints?
While working with a client at their plant last week, our Founder, Dr. Domenico Lepore, told the dramatic story of his visit to a German aluminium plant, part of a multi-billion, multi-national business. The General Manager had invited Domenico to visit and give a presentation after hearing him speak at a Theory of Constraints (TOC) […]
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 […]
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 […]
Every Project is a System – Don’t Ignore these Systemic Principles for Effective Project Management
This week we delivered an over-subscribed webinar for the Project Management Institute (PMI) global platform. It is always a privilege to address people in many different countries on such a vital subject matter. Project Management affects every single one of us, as citizens and consumers. Today’s post introduces some critical concepts when it comes to effective […]
The One Principle You Cannot Ignore for 21st Century Business Success
There is one universally valid principle that no business can ignore to achieve success and sustainable growth, highlighted in the following extract from the business novel ‘The Human Constraint’, www.thehumanconstraint.ca bought in 40 countries so far. May looked at her notes again. She had to get things right for the article about the new way that […]
Management Techniques and Tips? Try Knowledge Instead
The internet abounds with techniques and tips, giving the illusion that in a short amount of time it’s possible to master the answers to our problems. That may be true for, say, getting the most from a laptop. However, if we rely on ‘management techniques’ and ‘management by tips’ for running a business or launching a startup, […]
Executive Education: Updating for the Age of Complexity
Executives today must be able to understand how things interdepend and evolve in order to navigate complexity. Current Executive Education provided by the business degrees and MBAs on offer are not providing adequate knowledge, methods and tools. We already propose a full operational solution for organizational design for complexity (see ‘The Organization as a […]