Tuesday, March 6, 2012

The Premortem Technique

Assumptions that do not associate with probabilities create a false sense of certainty. Working backward, considering alternatives that emerge from failed assumptions broadens the scope of scenarios examined. The Premortem technique raises awareness of possibilities, including their likely consequences, to enrich planning.

Read the paper [ PDF: 407kb | 4 pages ]

Thursday, February 23, 2012

On Organizational Configurations

What configuration does it have and what does that tell you? What might you do to enhance the strengths and minimize the weaknesses of its structure?

Read the paper [ PDF: 524kb | 6 pages ]

Friday, February 17, 2012

Business Model Innovation

Who is your customer? What does the customer value? How do you deliver value to customers at an appropriate cost? Business models that focus on the who, what, and how to clarify managerial choices and their consequences underpin the operations of successful organizations.

Read the paper [ PDF: 655kb | 8 pages ]

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Learning in Conferences

The true value of a conference lies in its effects on participants. Conferences are to generate and share knowledge that impacts behavior and links to results: this will not happen if the state-of-the-art of conference evaluation remains immature and event planners do not shine a light on the conditions for learning outcomes.

Read the paper [ PDF: 498kb | 6 pages ]

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Learning Histories

How can we gauge the successes and failures of collective learning? How can the rest of the organization benefit from the experience? Learning histories surface the thinking, experiments, and arguments of actors who engaged in organizational change.

Read the paper [ PDF: 556kb | 7 pages ]

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Conflict in Organizations

Complex adaptive systems are the source of much intra-organizational conflict that will not be managed, let alone resolved. To foster learning, adaptation, and evolution in the workplace, organizations should capitalize on its functions and dysfunctions with mindfulness, improvisation, and reconfiguration.

Read the paper [ PDF: 556kb | 7 pages ]

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Political Economy Analysis for Development Effectiveness

Political economy embraces the complex political nature of decision making to investigate how power and authority affect economic choices in a society. Political economy analysis offers no quick fixes but leads to smarter engagement.

Read the paper [ PDF: 521kb | 11 pages ]