2 Matching Annotations
  1. Sep 2020
    1. However, I quickly realized the problem.  Kotter’s approach puts the senior executive at the center of the story and the leader’s task is to force a change on a resistant organization.  To him, the business leader “defines what the future should look like, aligns people with that vision, and inspires them to make it happen despite the obstacles” Chaos theory, in contrast, removes the senior executive from the center of the story and puts the system at the center.  That is exciting for people who enjoy thinking about complex systems, but isn’t likely to be profitable to a consulting firm which sells projects to senior executives.

      Looking at a organization through a chaos lens would be more accurate and fruitful, but because it removes the CEO from the center (and replaces it with the system), it's not something a management consultancy would pitch (as they pitch to CEOs).

      This reminds me of pharmaceutical companies not having an incentive to research a drug they cannot patent and thus cannot make a profit on.

  2. Apr 2020