Michael Lissack
10. Fueling coherence with aligned words
In the chapters that follow, I’ll explore how each of these principles applies in today’s digital landscape. But the fundamental insight remains unchanged: mastering complexity doesn’t mean reducing it. It means developing the capability to maintain coherence within it. TOWARD A NEW NAVIGATIONAL CAPABILITY The complexity of our digital landscape will continue to grow. The number of connected devices will increase by billions. Artificial intel- ligence will become more capable and pervasive. Climate change will introduce new uncertainties. Demographic shifts will transform markets and workforces. Organizations cannot predict or control these developments. But they can develop the navigational capabilities needed to maintain coherence amid them. This navigation isn’t about finding a single optimal path—there is no such thing in truly complex environments. It’s about maintaining the capacity for coordinated, purposeful action even as conditions change unpredictably. The pages that follow offer a guide to developing this navigational capability. We’ll explore how simple guiding principles create coherence without rigidity, how mental models shape our perception of complexity, and how storytelling creates shared context for autonomous action. The journey begins with a fundamental shift in mindset—from seeing complexity as a problem to be solved to recognizing it as a reality to be navigated. In the words of complexity scientist Dave Snowden, “We can- not control complex systems, but we can dance with them.” As we proceed through this book, you’ll see how each principle builds upon the others to create a comprehensive approach to complexity navi- gation. In Chapter 2, we’ll explore how coherence functions as the corner- stone capability for this navigation, providing direction without limiting
16
Made with FlippingBook. PDF to flipbook with ease