Michael Lissack
sophisticated design and governance than a simple standardization man- date would have, but it enabled the organization to achieve both efficiency and adaptability where each was most valuable. Similar dynamics played out across the other key tensions—they developed human-AI collaborative systems rather than choosing between human or algorithmic decision-making; they created attention-focused data visualization tools to navigate the data-attention tension; and they es- tablished purpose-driven decision frameworks to enable autonomy while maintaining alignment. The critical insight was that these tensions weren't problems to be eliminated but polarities to be navigated—ongoing balancing acts that required continuous attention rather than one-time solutions. COHERENCE AS A NAVIGATIONAL TOOL How, then, can organizations navigate this landscape of accelerating complexity and persistent tensions? In the original edition of this book, Johan Roos and I proposed coherence as the key capability. Coherence, we wrote, is "an alignment of context, viewpoint, purpose, and action that enables further purposive action." This definition remains valid, but its importance has grown exponentially in the digital age. When a system becomes more complex—more interwoven—the number of potential states it can occupy grows astronomically. Coherence doesn't eliminate this complexity; it creates patterns that make it naviga- ble. It's the difference between random noise and music—both contain complexity, but only one has a pattern we can follow. In organizations, coherence manifests in several ways: Narrative Coherence: A shared story about why the organization exists and where it's headed that makes sense of seemingly disparate ac- tivities. At Patagonia, the narrative of environmental stewardship creates coherence across product design, supply chain decisions, and political advocacy.
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