Systems

This feature only applies to episodes with transcripts, which is a small number at this time.

Miki Kashtan on the three shifts needed for self-managing organisations to thrive

...d a lot of concrete advice. Miki talks to me about what she believes are the three fundamental shifts that need to happen within us as humans and the systems that we're operating in, in order to collaborate in a self managing way. So it's a really deep conversation about navigating power, about mindset shi...more
...s that people lived in. So fundamentally, our structures are not designed to attend to needs. And if I want a really resilient, robust self managing system, sooner or later, it will need to realign itself with needs. Because otherwise, there comes a moment where it's like, wait a minute, we're self manag...more
...Lisa Gill: Yeah, that's so interesting, because so many people working in self managing systems, have this complaint and say to me: "the one thing we're really struggling with is, you know, how do we get people to take a shared ownership of the ...more
...ic of power, and patriarchy, which I know is something that you've written about and explored at length as well. And, again, I think in self managing systems, this is another total paradigm shift. And it's more complex I'm learning than just "let's change this manager-subordinate power dynamic." There's so...more
...l, that is where nonviolence really gets tested. So they're internal changes. There are also changes in the structure because if you don't change the systems and the agreements within which you operate, then it requires individuals to be saints. So ultimately, for self management to really be institutional...more
...es, and we have such a cool purpose, we don't have to look at it. So I think of exclusion criteria as being part of what I call a conflict engagement system. So it's one of five core systems that I think are there, in every entity they exist. And if you don't define them, you inherit them. I will say what...more
...se, we don't have to look at it. So I think of exclusion criteria as being part of what I call a conflict engagement system. So it's one of five core systems that I think are there, in every entity they exist. And if you don't define them, you inherit them. I will say what I mean. But let me first say that...more
..., in every entity they exist. And if you don't define them, you inherit them. I will say what I mean. But let me first say that a conflict engagement system is the set of agreements that a group makes about what to do when there's conflict. And if you don't have that system, if you don't have clear agreem...more
... say that a conflict engagement system is the set of agreements that a group makes about what to do when there's conflict. And if you don't have that system, if you don't have clear agreements about how you handle conflict, you're going to inherit the way that conflict is handled in the dominant culture. ...more
...e, or they will call a restorative circle, or they will do whatever else is in the agreement, then I am not alone holding the conflict. And it's that system that needs to hold within it the piece about conflict escalation. When conflict is not contained, and it continues to escalate, under what conditions...more
...gate for consequences? How do you do it with as much love as possible? All of these things, every group needs to work out. That's not at all the only system, I said, there are five of them. There are more systems. Most of them are specific to this or that group and the things that it needs to do. The five...more
...ve as possible? All of these things, every group needs to work out. That's not at all the only system, I said, there are five of them. There are more systems. Most of them are specific to this or that group and the things that it needs to do. The five core systems are... the first one is: decision making s...more
...id, there are five of them. There are more systems. Most of them are specific to this or that group and the things that it needs to do. The five core systems are... the first one is: decision making system, which addresses questions of who makes which decisions, who else is included, who finds out about it...more
...s. Most of them are specific to this or that group and the things that it needs to do. The five core systems are... the first one is: decision making system, which addresses questions of who makes which decisions, who else is included, who finds out about it, and what processes are used, etc. And so, you ...more
... else is included, who finds out about it, and what processes are used, etc. And so, you know, if a group decides to use the advice process, then the system is this: who makes which decisions? Anyone can make any decision. That's the purest advice process, it gets modified in Holacracy systems based on ro...more
...ss, then the system is this: who makes which decisions? Anyone can make any decision. That's the purest advice process, it gets modified in Holacracy systems based on roles, but essentially, who makes which decisions? Anyone can make any decision. Who gives input? The people who are affected, and the peopl...more
...s to be jumpstarted, people don't just start doing it just because they hear it's there because of the internal and external obstacles. So that's the system. Then the second system is the resource flow system, which is where the resources come from, and how do they get distributed? What happens to them? ...more
...le don't just start doing it just because they hear it's there because of the internal and external obstacles. So that's the system. Then the second system is the resource flow system, which is where the resources come from, and how do they get distributed? What happens to them? And there are many, many,...more
... just because they hear it's there because of the internal and external obstacles. So that's the system. Then the second system is the resource flow system, which is where the resources come from, and how do they get distributed? What happens to them? And there are many, many, many different ways, and if...more
...es come from, and how do they get distributed? What happens to them? And there are many, many, many different ways, and if you are in a self managing system, you need to work out, especially if the sum total of how people want to use the resources that are within the organisation – which is not just money...more
...to be through dialogue? Are you going to say, "so and so has ultimate authority"? All of these things need to be worked out. That's the resource flow system. The third system is information flow, which is basically about how information moves around. And in self managing systems, information flow is vital...more
...ogue? Are you going to say, "so and so has ultimate authority"? All of these things need to be worked out. That's the resource flow system. The third system is information flow, which is basically about how information moves around. And in self managing systems, information flow is vital and critical beca...more
...t. That's the resource flow system. The third system is information flow, which is basically about how information moves around. And in self managing systems, information flow is vital and critical because if you want people to make good decisions everywhere within the organisation, if you really want team...more
...ted, because they will be afraid of the messenger being killed. And so you need to actually do something for information to flow. And then the fourth system is feedback, which is also absolutely crucial in a self managing environment. Because if you are over here, self managing something, and there isn't ...more
...t sufficient information about the impact of the choices that you make. We learn through knowing what impact we have on others. So those are the five systems. And those systems can be set up, to be collaborative, to be supportive of 'power with', to be supportive of collaborative decision making, to be sup...more
...ation about the impact of the choices that you make. We learn through knowing what impact we have on others. So those are the five systems. And those systems can be set up, to be collaborative, to be supportive of 'power with', to be supportive of collaborative decision making, to be supportive of empowerm...more
...t, etc. world. Meanwhile people are trying to do self management and going "why isn't it happening?" It's not happening because you didn't set up the systems and structures to support it in happening....more
...Lisa Gill: Thank you for sharing those those five systems. I think that's really helpful. What strikes me is how important it is to be really diligent, actually, and very intentional about how we are going t...more
...y helpful. What strikes me is how important it is to be really diligent, actually, and very intentional about how we are going to organise those five systems... Miki Kashtan: Exactly. Yeah....more
...Lisa Gill: I'm wondering as well... So we've talked a bit about communication. We've talked a bit about structures and systems. You mentioned those three shifts that need to happen; within the people who have structural power, the people who don't, and then the system itself....more
...es and systems. You mentioned those three shifts that need to happen; within the people who have structural power, the people who don't, and then the system itself. In terms of those first two, in a quote unquote traditional organisation, it might be the managers and the non managers. So, beyond structure...more
...n terms of those first two, in a quote unquote traditional organisation, it might be the managers and the non managers. So, beyond structures and and systems, what are the sort of human shifts that need to happen? What can I do as a human being to develop the mindset, the skills, the abilities needed to co...more

Aaron Dignan on being complexity conscious and people positive

...root of all the humanistic thinking about work. And then the complexity conscious was really more about the systemic understanding. So, you know, in systems theory, there are lots of different kinds of systems - simple systems, complicated, complex, chaotic, disordered, etc. We really, as a culture, think...more
...then the complexity conscious was really more about the systemic understanding. So, you know, in systems theory, there are lots of different kinds of systems - simple systems, complicated, complex, chaotic, disordered, etc. We really, as a culture, think about everything as complicated. So, you know, a wat...more
...ty conscious was really more about the systemic understanding. So, you know, in systems theory, there are lots of different kinds of systems - simple systems, complicated, complex, chaotic, disordered, etc. We really, as a culture, think about everything as complicated. So, you know, a watch is complicated...more
...s complicated. They can be fixed, they can be predicted, they can be controlled. An expert knows what's going on with them. If there's a problem in a system like that, you can fix it. But the reality is that organisations and different problems that we solve within organisations are across the spectrum o...more
...ix it. But the reality is that organisations and different problems that we solve within organisations are across the spectrum of different types of systems. And one of the most common now that we see in a world of rapid change and dynamics and, you know, thousands of people bumping up against each other ...more
...e most common now that we see in a world of rapid change and dynamics and, you know, thousands of people bumping up against each other is the complex system. The complex system is like traffic or weather or raising a six year old or gardening. And that is, you know, more unpredictable - it has the potent...more
...t we see in a world of rapid change and dynamics and, you know, thousands of people bumping up against each other is the complex system. The complex system is like traffic or weather or raising a six year old or gardening. And that is, you know, more unpredictable - it has the potential to surprise us. I...more
...tion, it has a way of trending. But we can't be exactly sure about what will happen if we do this versus do that. And so the only way to understand a system like that is to interact with, it is to nurture it. Nobody ever comes in from the garden and says, 'honey, I fixed the garden', I like to say - right...more
...xity conscious is the mindset that says - the world is dynamic, it's unpredictable, we're moving fast. And in fact, we're also, you know, people in a system inside that world. And so we need to be conscious of the fact that that complexity requires a different approach. And that's where, you know, things ...more
...k, and The Ready in general was reading about the OS Canvas. And that was when I first heard about this model of of organisations and their operating system. And I think a lot of people I talk to in this field are familiar now with that terminology. I think it's a really helpful way of looking at it. Can ...more
...o in this field are familiar now with that terminology. I think it's a really helpful way of looking at it. Can you say something about the operating system of an organisation and what the OS Canvas is designed to do? Aaron Dignan: In theory, the goal was for people that start to engage in this work to th...more
...understand both where they could start, but also what are the connections between places that they might play. Because the reality is it is a complex system. And so if you pull on this, you're going to accidentally tug on that. At the same time, I wanted to acknowledge that there's not going to be any pe...more
...h other. How they reinforce each other. It's not uncommon to hear people that work in the change field talking about antibodies, or reactions in the system that kind of resist. And often, it's just because we don't understand the connections between these spaces. So, you know, we give a lot of empowermen...more
...on where multiple perspectives consent to the decision. So you focus on the decisions themselves, rather than a hierarchy of people. In a traditional system, the hierarchy of people says all decisions are made at the top, and progressively fewer and fewer decisions at the bottom. And in a model like this,...more
...nt to have happen again, don't overreact and create red tape that affects everyone. So say one person steals a computer. Don't put a $15,000 security system in place and make everybody badge in and badge out and lock the computers to the desks. The cost and bureaucracy will be far greater than the cost sa...more
...hat really compelled me. Because they speak to the fact that out of our good nature and our desire to try to make things work better, we create these systems of control that actually ended up backfiring on us. So it's not as if anybody woke up one day and was like, I want to - in a Machiavellian way - put ...more
...e things that we can do to avoid some of the pain when we change? Aaron Dignan: We feel like there are a few things. One is that we misunderstand the system when we look at most change frameworks. So back to the complicated and the complex, you see a lot of frameworks that go through five steps, or eight ...more
...things aren't going as planned, and you're trying to figure out why you're so frustrated. So I think the reality is that we first have to accept that systems are complex, and that we can't treat them as monolithic things that are in a single stage of reality. The second thing is the narrative about change ...more
...te in our world, and it certainly comes up at The Ready from time to time. Which is, you know, do you work on changing the individual or changing the system. And in my view first of all, they're really hard to pull apart - they both happen all the time. And secondly, there are some challenges, I think, wi...more
... comes from personal work from a walkabout or some personal crisis. So that's there. But I think from our perspective, if we can change things in the system that affect everyone at scale - that start new patterns, that reinforce the kinds of mindsets and identities that we want as a collective, that we al...more
...ll the things that are still wrong. And that could still be better. And so you then you continually raise the bar. So I think there's a dance between system change and individual consciousness, and then further systems change that goes on. I'm only advocating that the first moves which can really make thi...more
...etter. And so you then you continually raise the bar. So I think there's a dance between system change and individual consciousness, and then further systems change that goes on. I'm only advocating that the first moves which can really make things go faster are often systemic. So that's the way I think ab...more
... to be heavy-handed, and when not to. And what is the work of a founder or a creator, in making the initial conditions for success in a self managing system, versus the steady state that comes later? And I think I have misread that in the past. So I've sort of been like, 'Oh, we're there, but we're not qu...more
... And then, just in general - this idea of leadership. Understanding, in what context someone is a leader, and what it means to have leadership in the system that is emerging all the time. I think that there's still a lot of bias and narratives that we tell ourselves about leadership being a permanent stat...more
...hoemaker's kids problem of the work on the organisation and in the organisation has meaning. So, there's that. There's also mentorship. I mean, in a system where you don't have formal line managers, how do people get counsel? How do they apprentice to different skills and different stories? How do they g...more
... awareness of how to name everything that's going on. And then they also struggle to invent what could be next when they've been inside a traditional system for so long. So you say, what are your tensions? They're like, I'm not really sure how to put my finger on it, maybe because I haven't thought about ...more
... this, this set of leaders thinks it's that. It's not a competition, they're both right. And so then, how do we deal with that? How do we address the system in its richness? Which I think is fun. The cards just show that for people in a way that - maybe when I'm talking about it just sounds like heavy the...more

Frederic Laloux with an invitation to reclaim integrity and aliveness

... my own thinking. And just in my own life, just facing the fact that so much of what we do is deeply destructive. That the very basis of our economic system is an extractive system that does just irreparable damage to the planet. One way that I framed it at the beginning of the Coronavirus crisis was that...more
...st in my own life, just facing the fact that so much of what we do is deeply destructive. That the very basis of our economic system is an extractive system that does just irreparable damage to the planet. One way that I framed it at the beginning of the Coronavirus crisis was that the Covid virus seems t...more
...re we okay with that deep down? I remember a conversation I had with a group of CEOs in Brazil… I was asking them, “Where are you participating in a system where you’re actually acting out of integrity?” And it’s so interesting because one of them was honest enough to say, “Frederic, I don’t even know wh...more
...ve, I’m just asking everybody, “Are there things that you’re participating in?” There’s no shame or blame in that. That’s the reality of our economic system. We haven’t chosen it. We haven’t designed it. But I think that if we want to be real on wholeness, and if we want to be real around serving a real e...more
...hings was like, “It’s okay not to have an answer. By definition, these are big questions that are deeply woven into the fabric of our of our economic system. And so of course, we’re not going to have any an obvious answer.” But we’re so trained, certainly as leaders, right? And so the traditional paradigm...more
...ity, like a CEO makes 20 or maybe 300 times the salary of the lowest paid person. Am I okay with that? I’m not no longer okay with it. But that’s our system. I don’t know what the answer is. But can we stay with that question long enough until we stumble on the answers. And I think that is that is a key c...more
...re’s a there’s a juiciness in that honesty. So I think the part of no blame, no shame is super important, of saying, you know, we’ve inherited these systems. I’m disgusted by my trash, and I haven’t had the time, the bandwidth to go into the zero waste kind of lifestyle that other people might know about....more
...more than probably half the population makes in Belgium. How fucked up is that? And should I accept it? Try not to accept it? Am I participating in a system that’s hugely extractive — that pays way too many people way too little, that extracts all of that wealth to the top? And then I as a speaker, I come...more
...ng enough until until the answer emerges. And until you live yourself into into an answer, I think that’s the best we we can do. I mean, we are in a system that is so much larger than ourselves. And how juicy is it to ask these questions? I don’t know how you reacted when that person told you this. But I...more
...ble decisions. But all the questions that we were asking were questions that if they acted decisively upon them, would feel really risky to them. The system might eject them quite quickly. And so it was really interesting because we realised that they see themselves as being very powerful and their ident...more
...hing where you feel a lot of integrity. And you’re taking real risks. Right, and the risk might pay off and it might not pay off, you know, maybe the system will actually reject you. Maybe you’re ahead of your time and the system can’t deal with what you’re doing, maybe it will hurt your bottom line, it w...more
...ht, and the risk might pay off and it might not pay off, you know, maybe the system will actually reject you. Maybe you’re ahead of your time and the system can’t deal with what you’re doing, maybe it will hurt your bottom line, it will hurt your top line. What is your plan B? What else would you do in yo...more
...ivations. And then I go, “Okay, now we’re talking, now we know, and this is real energy.” So I couldn’t agree more with you. I mean, I am a bit of a systems geek, right? And I love to think about these systems like, you know, how could self-managing systems work… but ultimately, this is all just in servic...more
...ow we know, and this is real energy.” So I couldn’t agree more with you. I mean, I am a bit of a systems geek, right? And I love to think about these systems like, you know, how could self-managing systems work… but ultimately, this is all just in service to some deep yearning that we have, or some clarity...more
...n’t agree more with you. I mean, I am a bit of a systems geek, right? And I love to think about these systems like, you know, how could self-managing systems work… but ultimately, this is all just in service to some deep yearning that we have, or some clarity around like, “I will no longer do this.” But it...more
...nner collective component culture, right, this thing that we all share in our heads and an external collective component, which is all structures and systems. And so when you tell me you had this conversation with the leader, like, “I told people now, go into it, advice process, just do it, and then nothi...more
...uadrant], what is in their heads. But maybe there’s something else holding you back. And so for instance, one of the projects I would look at is the systems quadrants, and say, “Yeah, but most likely, there is still a manager there. Somebody who will fall back. And so people are clever. They know this.” S...more
...But I still know that the manager is there anyway. So if things get bad he or she will deal with it. So something shifts when we suddenly shift that system and the team is on its own and there is no more manager to fall back on. They immediately see if they do a good or bad job, you know, because their c...more
...ediately see if they do a good or bad job, you know, because their client is happy or unhappy. Trust me, they will start making decisions. But if the system isn’t set up that way, if they’re still having a manager and if they don’t see whether what they do makes other people happy or unhappy because they’...more
... lot in giving feedback but people often still shy away from it, right? Because we all are, to some degree, conflict avoiders. But if you set up the system in a way where the team is directly exposed to whether they do a good or bad job, if the team’s directly in touch with the clients who are happy or u...more
...L Gill: Yeah, I think it was Margaret Wheatley who used the analogy of a spiderweb and connecting the system to more of itself. And that’s the way to solve the problem, rather than trying to add something. F Laloux: Maybe I should just use this for a shamel...more
...change that I see since the book came out for me is that when the book came out, I think there was a real sense with a lot of people that our current system is broken. It wasn’t working. But then there wasn’t necessarily a lot of conversation about what else is possible. I think what has really shifted is...more
...sarily a lot of conversation about what else is possible. I think what has really shifted is for people who are interested in this, who feel that the system is broken, it doesn’t take them long to stumble upon that something entirely different is possible. Whether it’s my book or your book or other books,...more

Bill Fischer and Simone Cicero on Haier and the entrepreneurial organisation

...cise Zhang Ruimin and put him in the same camp of this slightly outdated heroic archetype of a leader. But he has this lovely phrase about creating a system where everyone can be a CEO of themselves. And I’m interested in what your experience is of leadership more generally at Haier and how leadership eme...more
...look like elsewhere in the organisation? How is leadership encouraged? What does that look like? Do they have leadership training? Or do you design a system and leadership emerges? S Cicero: Well, I think there is an interesting aspect, which is the constraint definition. And there’s a lot of leadership ...more
...y complex organisations, they’re mostly managed by constraints. And this is an expression of complexity in general. When you need to manage a complex system, you need to work by setting constraints so that you can flourish within certain directions that don’t, for example, create asymmetric risks. **So I ...more
... flourish within certain directions that don’t, for example, create asymmetric risks. **So I think this is really one clear and key aspect of, of the system. B Fischer: And what I think is that everybody wants bottom-up type of innovation because we feel that there’s more energy and people are closer to ...more
...team who is a command-and-control bureaucrat, then it’s not going to work, right? How are people supported terms of those kinds of skills? Or is the system designed so that it’s self-correcting? You know, if you’re an autocratic boss-like character, no one will want to be in your micro enterprise — and m...more
...he changes. At no time has Haier ever asked its employees to take a flying leap into the unknown. They’re still using the same performance management system they used 35 or 40 years ago. It’s been adapted and adjusted and digitalised and all that sort of stuff. But you know, it’s still the same system. So...more
...ent system they used 35 or 40 years ago. It’s been adapted and adjusted and digitalised and all that sort of stuff. But you know, it’s still the same system. So it’s not like you’re being surprised by outside and inside — the changes have always been contextually driven. It’s always been outside in terms...more
...ity and thinking about the planet. And the other one is… you know, a few years ago, I went to visit a small organisation in the UK called Matt Black Systems, who have kind of a micro version of the Haier model, I suppose. But they are micro enterprises of one person, in the aerospace industry. And the own...more
...ina, your stipend or basic income is set by the state. So then if you don’t find an opportunity, in three months you are out. But when you enter the system — so maybe you can be hired by a micro-enterprise at first, but you’re not there just to work in a micro-enterprise. You are there because you can le...more
... you can be hired by a micro-enterprise at first, but you’re not there just to work in a micro-enterprise. You are there because you can leverage the systems that Haier has created to lead to becoming an entrepreneur. So it’s kind of a system that offers you several things. It offers you what they call thi...more
... a micro-enterprise. You are there because you can leverage the systems that Haier has created to lead to becoming an entrepreneur. So it’s kind of a system that offers you several things. It offers you what they call this Shared Service Platform. So legal, IT, HR and so on. But it also offers you what th...more
...kes it easier to enterprise inside the organisation if you’re passionate about the Internet of Things and technology, than outside. So it’s really a system that’s very porous. It’s a very porous organisation that you can imagine as a kind of accelerator. You end up inside of this accelerator if you are a...more
...L Gill: Yeah, that’s interesting. It’s very transparent criteria from the beginning that if you don’t generate more than your basic income, the system is kind of self-correcting, right? S Cicero: I told you, you know, this is a company that is really based on this idea of zero bullshit. ...more
...hat. And I wonder if there are some people that need just a little bit more and then could really thrive, that that aren’t really catered for by that system? So it’s, it’s not a criticism, but it’s kind of a wondering that I have. B Fischer: But I think that if you’re one of those people that -needs a li...more
...doing and the contributions that they make. And I think Simone’s right, you’re never too old to do this…but, I was thinking, where I work, we have a system very similar. We have no departments, we have no structure, everybody has the same base salary, I’ve had the same base salary for twenty years but in...more

Bernadette Wesley on bridging inner and outer transformation

...metimes the first thing I do is send the link to innerdevelopmentgoals.org. And I've done that with some non-profits in the U.S.A working around food systems. And it really helps land it. Of course, they work around the SDGs. And I prefer to work with organisations who are obviously moving in a direction ...more
...work because it's still really a challenge for me, honestly. I want to show up looking good. It's just in my DNA. It's in my family of origin's value system of success. It's still my learning edge, honestly. Even though, in other settings - no problem. But at work, it's still really, really a challenge fo...more
...ng up even though it's scary, and the fears that come with that. And that we show up anyway. Just sharing that out loud does something to our nervous system. It connects us to each other and hopefully does something to the field between us now and to whoever will be listening. Those micro-moments make a d...more
...ganisation showing up through us, we're all fractals. So we often see what patterns are we seeing that have similar challenges between us, and in the system that we're a part of. And what's our responsibility there? And we don't answer that if we don't know. It's an in the moment ongoing question that we ...more
...ints of meridians, on certain places on your face and upper body. To clear where a somatic response might be living as well as it soothes the nervous system. It helps your brain switch from fight, flight, freeze or fawn into higher functioning, bringing the blood flow back to your prefrontal cortex. So al...more
...ional setting. Even like, let's all stand up and stretch and put our arms up in the air and look up - which actually has a huge impact on the nervous system and the brain. There's ways you can just get your right and left brain back online easily, when there's sort of system overload, and you're doing bra...more
...s a huge impact on the nervous system and the brain. There's ways you can just get your right and left brain back online easily, when there's sort of system overload, and you're doing brainstorming. So I'm hoping that these can become more acceptable and we can make them less taboo. One of my practitioner...more
...with with your thumb, or you can just take your other hand and just hold each of the ends of your fingers. And it will send a message to your nervous system - it interrupts the fight, flight or freeze signal that's happening in your body. So it's a really easy one to do. I do that in highly charged situat...more
...ntions are like walking away or naming it but if you can't even name it, because that's just going to send this person off, I just tend to my nervous system so that I can stay present. While you're holding these points, then you can slow things down, which always works for me as well. Just slow things dow...more
...r what I call emotional hygiene. Just, as we brush our teeth every day, but we don't take care of our emotional body which is connected to our energy system as well. So you can use them to just tap through. You can even look or I can share a resource afterwards of the tapping points. And you can just do s...more
...ggest learning for me in the last year - and I didn't mention it so I'll mention it here - has been diving deep into something called internal family systems. And it's been life changing. For me, even with all the 20 years of other tools, this one, there's just something different about it. It integrates i...more
...ob. This is part of the shift that I'm seeing and part of the work to be done, and that comes back to our power. When we understand our own internal system, our own internal complexity, I call it VUCA squared. We are a VUCA system - ourselves as a human being inside, and in a VUCA world. So the more we c...more
...ne, and that comes back to our power. When we understand our own internal system, our own internal complexity, I call it VUCA squared. We are a VUCA system - ourselves as a human being inside, and in a VUCA world. So the more we can touch that point of leverage that Otto talks about is key. For me, relat...more
...ping them feel safe and secure and stable in this new world that I want to live in. Well, then my self with a capital S can be in charge of the whole system, and then I'm in my co-creative power. And that's where I want to be. ...more

Margaret Wheatley on leadership and Warriors for the Human Spirit

...ite naive, was that, people will just greet it with open arms and be very thankful for it. Because the paradigm of the new science of self-organising systems, which is another way of understanding self-managing systems - you can organise and get order without control - that was the fundamental 'aha' moment...more
... and be very thankful for it. Because the paradigm of the new science of self-organising systems, which is another way of understanding self-managing systems - you can organise and get order without control - that was the fundamental 'aha' moment for me when I was studying the new science. I mean, I still ...more
...s well as all possibilities. So I'm not interested in - I no longer hold the possibility that we can create change at that level of organisations or systems. I know, we can wake people up at the individual level. And that's where all evolution occurs. And that requires dedication. It requires commitment, ...more
...le who think - oh, I could use my position, my influence my power, to do meaningful work again, it's just different work. It's not about changing our systems. It's about being present for what needs to be done having higher levels of consciousness, higher levels of awareness, and not doing it for self-aggr...more
...ll now - a summons to 'how are you going to use your leadership?' The old ways, the old aspirations are no longer valid. We cannot change these large systems, even though we know how to do it. What the methods and tools are, we have all of those. But it's not happening because of the other dynamics here - ...more
... new, but it seems like there's, they're sort of trendy at the moment. And there are books like reinventing organisations, and then there are sort of systems like holocracy out there. But I speak to lots of people who feel like there's something missing - the kind of human part and the mindset - I guess, t...more
... I mean, they're exponentially strong now. So it could be a holacracy. It could be bringing up any of the old words we used to use for self organised systems. It's our work, and that requires training. And it requires courage because no one's gonna sit up and say, 'oh, you're the hope of the future?' No, t...more
...e statement. I was a child of the 60s I served rather than protest, I was in the Peace Corps in Korea. In the 60s - we were committed to changing the system, stopping the wars. We were as energised and hope-inducing as any youth I meet these days. And here we are. We need to get a lot smarter about notici...more
...gised and hope-inducing as any youth I meet these days. And here we are. We need to get a lot smarter about noticing any of you who are interested in systems perspectives, look at the whole system, look at the dynamics, look at the conditions. And then you ask what's possible. That can be overwhelming, bec...more
...eet these days. And here we are. We need to get a lot smarter about noticing any of you who are interested in systems perspectives, look at the whole system, look at the dynamics, look at the conditions. And then you ask what's possible. That can be overwhelming, because what's possible, is more immediate...more

Jos de Blok on Buurtzorg and the virtues of humanising, not protocolising

... with what we want to achieve? How can we focus on the patient care on one side, but also care for ourselves on the other side and also deal with the system sides. Because it's always complicated. We are in a very complicated environment at the moment where the ministry and the care authority are making p...more
...ment at the moment where the ministry and the care authority are making plans which are not really based on a vision and on content. So it's really a system thing, which can also create a lot of bureaucracy again, but it feels like we are a collective and that feels very good - that we are aligned, that w...more
...at ways you think that how you're set up and your culture helped you navigate that, especially given, as you said, the kind of battle almost with the system and different things going on in the government. So what have been some of the main lessons and things that you're proud of in terms of how you respo...more
...le, particularly, for example, in the health and social care sector, many people in in the UK, for example, who are within the NHS, this kind of huge system, and really passionate and committed about changing things, and making it more human for patients and for colleagues, but really struggling against t...more
...nd really passionate and committed about changing things, and making it more human for patients and for colleagues, but really struggling against the system and many people say to me that in Buurtzorg's case you created something from scratch and that has its advantages, of course. But I'm wondering what ...more
...t to do, or appraisals or whatever, that it also feels quite challenging and intimidating. So you hear leaders saying, "We've created a self-managing system, why is no one stepping in?" So there are all sorts of pain points for organisations that are transforming and I imagine you've talked to many people...more
...chical position, then nurses will tell you what they see. And in that sense, nurses are very important for society on the whole, so they can heal the system. There are some reflections. I don't believe in all these leadership courses; I think it's bringing more and more negative things than positive. So ...more
...nd of expectations, guidelines. Also in the back office, for example. So if you say we don't have a management structure, what will be the supportive system? What kind of support do we need, and we want? So the strategy on building should be very clear. And I totally agree with you that on some of these t...more

Michael Y. Lee on lessons from researching self-managing organisations

...Lisa Gill: Yeah, and I know that your dissertation recently, a big focus of that was holacracy which is obviously a self-management system designed to help create those structures and processes so that we don't slip back into all power hierarchies. But we'll come back to holacracy in a m...more
...about holacracy specifically that sparked your interest and made you think, "Oh, yeah, I want to dig more deeply into that particular self-management system"? Michael Y. Lee: I came into my dissertation - I had worked in self-managed teams before and had really positive experiences from those work experie...more
...ource of attention and authority in the organisation. So just to say, I think that the insight, or the takeaway from that is that there is no perfect system, that every system has its own tendencies and can maybe help resolve some tensions, but can introduce new trade offs. And so recognising what the ten...more
...and authority in the organisation. So just to say, I think that the insight, or the takeaway from that is that there is no perfect system, that every system has its own tendencies and can maybe help resolve some tensions, but can introduce new trade offs. And so recognising what the tendencies of those sy...more
...em has its own tendencies and can maybe help resolve some tensions, but can introduce new trade offs. And so recognising what the tendencies of those systems are and how that fits with maybe what is important for your particular organisation, and the particular type of work you do, I think is one important...more
...titive or whatever, and then it kind of becomes about self-management instead of about the purpose of the organisation, and using whatever management system best helps you meet that purpose. So, yeah, I think that's interesting. And yeah, and it's also interesting and something that I've been wondering ab...more
...nagement, new tensions emerge. But one of the things that came to mind when you were talking about that, is that self-management, if done well as the system, at least creates an ability to make those things visible, to kind of make explicit what's going on under the surface, and then do something about it...more
...And how do you stop people from underperforming? And blah, blah, blah". And it's funny that actually that there is little to no evidence that the old system works and it's strange that people are so sceptical of like: "Well prove that an alternative works!", and it's like, well, there's no proof that the ...more

Pasteur Byabeza on transitioning to self-management at Davis College

...Lisa Gill: Pastor, thank you for being here. I know that at Davis College you decided to use holacracy as a self management system. And I think many listeners of the podcast will be familiar with holacracy. But I think it would be really interesting if you could share with us wha...more
...anagement is worth trying. So the next step was then to test that hypothesis. And based on the feedback we received with the early success of the new system in pilot circles, everyone at Davis College, and Akilah, was invited to transition into holacracy. That's how we disbanded the global cancer. We did...more
...I guess, it'd be interesting to hear your experience personally. I know that in your current role, you have evolved into a role called in a holacracy system, a lead link, and you're the lead link of the Student Care Circle. So how has the experience been for you? What have you learned in that new role? Pa...more
...d say that the feedback we got from the pilots, our calls and their success, gave us every assurance that we needed to invite everybody into this new system. And that's how we wrote it out officially. There is one more challenge - and this one is connected to what was just mentioned. As a higher learning...more
...Another piece of advice to our to listeners is that you shouldn't expect perfect inclusion. So what I mean here is that there is no single management system that will be loved by everybody in the organisation - because people have diverse interest in needs. Some people will prefer the traditional manageme...more

Peter Koenig on source, money and consciousness

...ext of Frederick Laloux's work in terms of orange and green, and teal? Peter Koenig: I'm not an expert on spiral dynamics, although I have a parallel system and I know, superficially. I love Frederick Laloux and his work. And actually, thanks to Tom who you've mentioned, he actually came the first time we...more
...fectly the ideology, because I had it myself once. It's going back a while, going back 20, 30 years, I was really right to believe in self-organising systems and I think I mentioned to you once, I was in a group for 10 years. We called ourselves 'self-organising' and were experimenting with this and actual...more
...I think. Because God has impregnated your idea, and the whole thing is, you know, sort of round like that. Now there are people who believe in social systems and secular things who might dispute that, but I would say it's not worth trying to get into the mysticism, in terms practical things, in terms of lo...more
... this possibility, but it seems to me quite far away at the moment and there seems to be a lot of mileage for people who are coming from conventional systems, conventional organisations. There seems to be a lot of usefulness still in just the way you've described, Lisa, in unpacking, in looking at what's h...more
...anisations. There seems to be a lot of usefulness still in just the way you've described, Lisa, in unpacking, in looking at what's happening in their systems through a different lens, and being able to identify things that they weren't able to identify by looking at it up to now from how they've been train...more

Gary Hamel on busting bureaucracy for good

...eir imagination, their passion, their creativity. So we have a long way to go and I'm under no illusions of how difficult this is because as a social system, a social structure, bureaucracy is one of the most ubiquitous and deeply entrenched systems - there's a rather powerful coalition around it and so I...more
...no illusions of how difficult this is because as a social system, a social structure, bureaucracy is one of the most ubiquitous and deeply entrenched systems - there's a rather powerful coalition around it and so I think it's going to take a lot more effort to change that. Having said that, we've changed s...more
... territory is a matrix. Not to make this sound too complicated, because it's really not. But a matrix where on one axis, you have the core management systems - how we hire, how we promote, how we compensate, how we plan, how we allocate resources, how we coordinate, and on the other axis, you have a set of...more
...n is not hierarchically organised. And for years we thought it was. Our experience tells us it's not because if I see a piece of chocolate, my limbic system immediately takes over right, now it's in control. And it says we want chocolate or whatever appeals to us in those ways. And so we can see that the ...more
... certain amount you can learn there, though most of it we already know. But very few faculty are actually inside organisations experimenting with new systems and processes and so on. And yet, when you go back, and you look at how most breakthroughs happen in science, they happen when somebody did an exper...more

Ruth, Taryn and Philippa from Mayden, a health tech company that’s Made Without Managers

...at to be here with you, Lisa. We are a software company based in Bath. We do software, particularly around healthcare services and patient management systems, and we're really excited about data and innovation in this space, and so that's kind of where we occupy a lot of our space and energy. But we're obv...more
...e really excited to be here, and thanks for having us, looking forward to speaking about our way of working. I guess it would be worth mentioning the system that we provide mainly occupies a space for mental health, but we're also exploring other healthcare sectors as our organisation grows and develops....more
...f when they join us. So obviously, when you join Mayden, you'll get set up on a laptop and the basics of what you need to know and our communication systems. But then I'll spend a morning with a new starter just talking through some of the language and an understanding around the role of the director, how...more
...n, you don't need to ask permission. I think that's really a huge shift for people. But also giving them permission, it's going to be a shock to the system, but we're here to support you on that process. And so keep the conversation going, access that coaching, your team is a great support for you, etc....more

Beetroot’s founders on purpose, self-management, and shocking people with trust

...n a way is an advantage because people don't have as much experience perhaps, of really hierarchical workplaces. And yet, I think still the education system and my understanding is the culture generally in Ukraine is quite hierarchical, so there's still some unlearning to do there I think, and I think it ...more
...n that transition, in terms of getting used to 'the Beetroot way' of working. Andreas Flodström: I can maybe comment first on the overall educational system and what with what luggage people come into the organisation. So most of the Ukrainian education system has a, you could call it, 'Soviet legacy', wh...more
...aybe comment first on the overall educational system and what with what luggage people come into the organisation. So most of the Ukrainian education system has a, you could call it, 'Soviet legacy', which means it's very fact-based, it's not based on you taking various initiatives and so on. That's the o...more
...coordinators who are out in the cities, and they are, like, fully responsible of everything that goes on in the city, and then they have this support system of people who work with product development, producing various marketing material, financial, administrative support, and so on. So in a way without ...more

Edwin Jansen on how people adopt self-management at Fitzii

... and said, "What did they have in common?" And what they found was that amongst all of these various HR practices, whether it's having a compensation system performance management, that the biggest difference or the biggest driver of a high-performing culture, was how effectively that culture did what the...more
...ctually do GDM: they did a Generative Decision Making the leadership team, and they decided to move towards adopting what they call a 'Teal Operating System', so they found that to be a useful analogy. And then we've just been working through it. So we have a number of committees or working groups that a...more
...ms of helping people transition to self-management? Edwin Jansen: Yes, it absolutely is. I mean, India has been working in a hierarchical, caste type system for many generations. So the deference that generally the people in India have for their parents and for controlling power structures is very differ...more
...ere. And my sense is that, yeah, it's a funny paradox, because on the one hand yeah, this there is this very hierarchical, family tradition and caste system, and on the other hand, I see things like Jugaad Innovation and things like that and I guess, Eastern philosophy as well if I look to like China and ...more

Keith McCandless and Henri Lipmanowicz on acting your way into a new kind of organising with Liberating Structures

...sults of what we were doing, Lisa, were mysterious. It's like, what just happened? How could that be? We had an experience in Ohio with a big health system, and we were doing sort of an early version of Wise Crowds, and User Experience Fishbowl. And we had them doing the work. And Henri and I were both g...more
...an institute - and I mean, Keith was very much at the centre of that too - called Plexus Institute, that was devoted to spreading ideas about complex systems, you know, and the notion that you could use those ideas and those concepts as a way of organising, you know, as a way of running organisations. And...more
...ose ideas and those concepts as a way of organising, you know, as a way of running organisations. And so the idea was that organisations are complex systems, they're not machines. And therefore we shouldn't run them like machines, you know. That they are not controllable, or hierarchical systems don't rea...more
...e complex systems, they're not machines. And therefore we shouldn't run them like machines, you know. That they are not controllable, or hierarchical systems don't really work well, etc. So we had a lot of people who were interested in and loved the idea. But, we didn't know what we were doing to start wit...more

Buurtzorg and the power of self-managed teams of nurses

...in patients homes. It was founded by Jos de Blok, who was himself, formerly a nurse. And he was really frustrated with how mechanistic the healthcare system had become and turning patients into numbers and dehumanising them. So he started Buurtzorg, because he wanted to create a business model where teams...more
... skills in your team. Jolanda: And Buurtzorg is also very far ahead in terms of the digital stuff, with planning for example. We have a very good ICT system....more
...Lisa Gill: Tell me about that. How does that support you, the IT system? Because I understand it's quite key to having self-managing teams at Buurtzorg. Chila: Because it makes everything very simple. You can find everyth...more
...nd everything. So for one client, you can order stuff for the client or materials for the wound or bed or whatever. So if you have the client in the system, then everything hangs on that client. So you don't have to fill any forms or make a lot of phone calls or whatever. So it makes it very easy. And a ...more

Amy Edmondson on psychological safety and the future of work

...k that’s a really valuable dimension to talk about. AE: And I love how you just put that because to me that’s exactly right. There’s the structures, systems, tools and then there’s the human. And they both are equally important. I mean you can’t just come in however you might do it and sort of alter the c...more
...LG: It strikes me that, as you said, the systems piece and the human piece are both important, and it’s also the case that it’s not just leaders that are responsible for creating this climate of psy...more

Margaret Heffernan on how to act our way out of the status quo trap

...ot the only one. So do not think you can think your way to the answer. You can't, it's impossible. You have to do something different and see how the system responds. From that you've learned something that you can build on. But absolutely, none of us can solve these real world problems in our heads. It's...more

Anna Elgh on self-managing teams and shifting conflicts at Svenska Retursystem

...he decisions. So it was a huge change that the company was in need of. So we started off establishing a new way of working. We wanted to establish a system and a way of working with systematic improvements based on the Lean Thinking Principles and I've worked with that in many previous companies, and I'v...more

Lisa Gill and Mark Eddleston celebrate 50 episodes of Leadermorphosis

...umping up against some of the same challenges and it seems like most many of these organisations struggle with recognising that some kind of feedback system is really important, for example to be able to know, as Miki Kashtan put it: "we learn by knowing our impact on others". And I know like, Bryan Ungar...more

Alanna Irving on leadership, decisions and money in bossless organisations

...g to be able to take money and turn it into information, and then do lots of creative and highly flexible things without all the baggage from all the systems we use to manipulate money in mainstream society. And there are pros and cons to that. Some of the stuff that's been developed in mainstream society ...more