Michael Lissack
surrendering to chaos but developing approaches that work with the grain of complex systems rather than against it. A global logistics company learned this lesson during a major supply chain disruption. Their initial response—attempting to impose centralized control and detailed planning—only exacerbated the problems. When they shifted to an approach that distributed decision-making to local teams oper- ating within clear guidelines, they not only resolved the immediate crisis but developed capabilities that served them well during subsequent disruptions. Coherence comes from purpose, not control. In conditions of high uncertainty and rapid change, detailed plans quickly become outdated. Organizations that maintain alignment through shared purpose and prin- ciples rather than detailed control mechanisms can adapt to changing con- ditions while maintaining coherence. Purpose provides direction without constraining the specific paths taken to fulfill it. When a technology company faced a sudden market shift, their detailed product roadmap became obsolete overnight. Rather than at- tempting to create a new fixed plan, they refocused on their core pur- pose—”enabling creative expression through accessible technology”— and established principles to guide how teams would pursue this purpose in the changed environment. This approach maintained alignment while enabling the flexibility needed to navigate uncertainty. Distributed intelligence outperforms centralized direction. Complex challenges require diverse perspectives and distributed knowl- edge. Organizations that develop mechanisms for integrating insights from throughout their systems make better decisions than those that rely on centralized expertise. This distributed intelligence isn’t a replacement for leadership but a different kind of leadership—one focused on orches- trating collective wisdom rather than issuing commands. A healthcare organization implementing this principle created “in- sight networks” that connected frontline clinicians, patients, researchers, and administrators. These networks surfaced patterns and solutions that would have been invisible from any single perspective, enabling more effective approaches to complex health challenges.
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