Organizations are complex, and almost everyone “learns” organizations by trial-and-error, on the job.
As a result, the views people develop about organizations tend to be one- or two-dimensional, and they adopt whatever view of organizations they encounter as the correct view. Even people with formal training in organizational matters, such as MBA’s, tend to see only one or two aspects of their organization clearly, and they do not see the complexity which is the reality they are dealing with. It’s as if our organizations were pictures on a 3D movie screen; without the special glasses we will not be able to see the picture clearly and we might well conclude that we are stuck with fuzzy images. (Worse yet, we might conclude that’s as good as you can expect from a movie!)
Our intent is to help you see your organization in all its important dimensions – the sharp, 3D picture that helps you see how to create extraordinary value.
When you see the full picture of your organization, you are in a position to discern its emergent order -- the inherent order and logic that arises from the organization's specific combination of purposes, people, structure and relationships. This order is like gravity, inherent in our world whether or not we know about it or believe in it.
Like gravity, emergent order is fundamentally a practical concern. We take it into account not because we should, but because we must. Acting in accord with emergent is crucial for success. The more you discern your organization's emergent order, and act from that knowledge, the more powerful and effective your organization will be.
You can ignore your organization's emergent order if you like, or even violate it, but that rarely results in a good outcome – and sometimes the results are very bad indeed. Ignore it at your own peril.
Want to know more about how we see organizations? You might start with these brief pieces:
You could go directly to the longer thought-pieces available for download, or check out the current dialogue on organizations among Putman Group participants.
