Every organization needs tooling to overcome VUCA; volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity.
So, what do you have in your toolbox?
This post begins the more in-depth discussion around the Triple Helix of Flow in The Flow System (TFS). Accordingly, the strands are Complexity Thinking, Distributed Leadership, and Team Science. Consequently, Flow is achieved when the strands are integrated.
Each strand deals with areas that impact an organization’s social system. Consequently, TFS equips people with tools to improve person-to-person and group-to-group engagement. As well, it transforms social boundaries and constraints to achieve value flow.
The first strand is Complexity Thinking:
When addressing complex environments, the following questions need to be asked:
- What state is the current environment at?
- How much variability is in the current environment?
When the environment is a complex environment that includes high variability and uncertainty, one must utilize tools and techniques that are designed or complex environment rather than for complicated or simple environment and problems. Although the goal of complexity thinking is to move complex problems into the complicated domain, where we already have proven tools and techniques for addressing complicated problems, we still need a different set of tools and techniques to begin the transition phase. Complexity thinking involves two steps:
Turner, John R.; Thurlow, Nigel & Rivera, Brian. The Flow System: The Evolution of Agile and Lean Thinking in an Age of Complexity, book, 2020; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1725755/m1/70/?q=32: accessed February 4, 2023), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu
- understanding the characteristics of complex systems; and
- having a worldview or perspective that systems, entities, and events are complex adaptive systems (CASs).
Tooling to overcome complexity
The tools included in complexity thinking build understanding around:
- Complex Adaptive Systems
- The Cynefin Framework
- Sensemaking
- Weak Signal Detection
- Network Analysis
- Storytelling and Narratives
- Empirical Process Control
- Constraint Management
- Prototypes
- The Boyd Cycle also known as OODA loop
- Scrum: The Toyota Way
In following posts will take a look at the tools. Independently, each one is useful and can be used to assist in countering complexity. Combined, they are a part of an organizational tool box.
Reference to TFS —
©2019 Professor John Turner, Nigel Thurlow, Brian Rivera. The Flow System™ is offered for license under the Attribution license of Creative Commons, accessible at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode and also described in summary form at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ By utilizing this Site and any information presented you acknowledge and agree that you have read and agree to be bound by the terms of the Attribution license of Creative Commons. The Flow System™, The DNA of Organizations™, and The Triple Helix of Flow™ are all trademarks of the copyright holders.
