{"id":88242,"date":"2022-06-01T21:07:46","date_gmt":"2022-06-01T19:07:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leaders21.com\/?p=88242"},"modified":"2024-01-31T12:52:04","modified_gmt":"2024-01-31T11:52:04","slug":"how-to-manage-complexity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.leaders21.com\/en\/blog\/how-to-manage-complexity\/","title":{"rendered":"How to manage complexity"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Management Cybernetics: how to handle complexity in organizations<\/b><\/h2>\n

How can you solve complex problems without losing the buy-in of your employees? Well, it\u2019s pretty easy: <\/span>by involving them in decision-making and, thereby, making them take over responsibility. <\/b>Sounds reasonable, right? However, (as always) the devil is in the details.<\/span><\/p>\n

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We\u2019ve already talked about why our world is characterized by <\/span>change<\/span><\/a>, why <\/span>agility is so much more than just a fad<\/span><\/a>, and how modern goal-setting and steering systems like <\/span>OKRs<\/span><\/a> can contribute to seeing light at the end of the tunnel.<\/span><\/p>\n

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What happens, though, if the problem is deeply entrenched in an organization, if basic decisions about the further direction of a company can\u2019t be made because there is no common ground? <\/span>Oftentimes, the reason for such a standoff is the content-related complexity of the problem and the resulting fact that many people and competencies would have to collaborate and be connected to find a solution. <\/b>In practice, the endeavor of bringing together the people whose knowledge and contributions are necessary to solve the problem often fails. Because \u201cit\u2019s too complicated,\u201d \u201cthere\u2019s no time,\u201d or \u201cnothing would come of it anyway.\u201d These are the most popular excuses for not having to tackle the challenge of solving a complex problem.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The solution to complex problems<\/strong><\/h2>\n

That\u2019s where the so-called <\/b>Management Cybernetics<\/b><\/a>, an exciting economic approach, come into play.<\/b> It sees organizations as complex mechanisms where the single parts (that is, employees, departments, etc.) strongly depend on each other. The Austrian saying <\/span>\u201cDurchs Reden kommen d\u2019Leut zam\u201d <\/span><\/i>explains the essence of this model in one sentence\u2014and could be translated as \u201cTalking brings people closer together.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

We at Leaders21 strongly believe in this cybernetic approach and support companies in creating the space necessary to bring together a large number of members of an organization to exchange views, experiences and ideas, thereby laying the groundwork for finding solutions to complex problems\u2014together.<\/span><\/p>\n

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How to manage complexity in real life<\/strong><\/h2>\n

So far, so clear. But what would this look like in real life? At Leaders21, we call the implementation of this approach a \u201c<\/span>Summit<\/span><\/a>.\u201d And here\u2019s how it works:<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n