The Next Next Common Sense
Narrative Alignment: Stories are powerful tools for creating shared understanding in complex environments. Coherent organizations develop and continuously evolve narratives that help people make sense of what’s happening and how their work contributes to the larger purpose. A technology company implementing this principle established regu- lar “narrative sessions” where leaders and teams discussed evolving market conditions, customer needs, and organizational initiatives. These sessions weren’t simply one-way communications but collaborative sense-making that developed shared understanding of the changing environment and the organization’s response. Meaning-Making Rituals: Regular practices that bring people to- gether to make sense of events and reaffirm shared purpose are essential for maintaining coherence through change. These rituals create space for collective reflection and renewal of commitment. A professional services firm created quarterly “alignment days” where teams stepped back from day-to-day work to reflect on their experiences, share learnings, and reconnect with the organization’s purpose. These rituals helped maintain coherence by creating regular opportunities to integrate diverse experiences into a shared narrative. Adaptive Planning: Rather than treating plans as fixed commit- ments, coherent organizations use planning as a continuous process of sense-making, experimentation, and adjustment. Plans become learning tools rather than control mechanisms. A healthcare organization implementing this approach replaced an- nual planning with quarterly strategic reviews that assessed changing conditions, evaluated the results of recent initiatives, and adjusted priori- ties accordingly. Planning became a continuous conversation rather than a periodic event, enabling more responsive adaptation while maintaining alignment with overall purpose. Values-Based Decision Making: In rapidly changing environments, decisions must often be made with incomplete information and uncer- tain outcomes. Coherent organizations establish clear values that guide
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