Michael Lissack The Old Common Sense and Its Limitations Before exploring where we’re headed, it’s worth clarifying what we mean by “the old common sense” that has governed management thinking for decades. The old common sense viewed organizations as complicated machines with parts that could be optimized independently. It empha- sized prediction, control, and efficiency above all else. Decision-making was concentrated at the top, information flowed through formal channels, and success was measured by how closely reality matched the plan. This approach served well in relatively stable environments where problems could be broken down into component parts and addressed separately. But in today’s interconnected world, this old common sense increasingly fails us. When we try to optimize parts without understand- ing their relationships, we create unexpected consequences. When we insist on detailed plans in rapidly changing conditions, we waste resources on predictions that quickly become obsolete. When we concentrate decision-making at the top, we lose the distributed intelligence needed to respond to emerging patterns. The limitations of this old common sense have become increasingly apparent through both dramatic failures and missed opportunities. Companies that once dominated their industries have collapsed when unable to adapt to networked competition. Carefully crafted strategies have unraveled in the face of technological disruption. And organizations optimized for efficiency have proven surprisingly fragile when facing un- expected challenges like pandemic disruptions or supply chain failures. The Enduring Principles of the Next Common Sense Amid this technological whirlwind, a surprising truth emerges: the fundamental principles we articulated in the original edition have not become obsolete—they have become essential. The distinction between complicated and complex systems matters more than ever. The need for coherence—that alignment of context, viewpoint, purpose, and action
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