“We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.” So said Albert Einstein. So what does it take to increase the complexity of our thinking?
Consider the familiar story of the esteemed consultant brought in to address the CEO’s concern that decision making in her organization has become too centralized. The consultant’s solution? A detailed plan to decentralize. Three years later the CEO calls the consultant back in, worried that decision making has become too decentralized. The solution? A detailed plan to centralize.