Complex Adaptive Systems
Complex
adaptive systems are hard to find because it goes against most of what
corporate managers have been taught in the past 100 years. It is a frightening prospect to venture into
the unknown. Taking calculated risks are
one thing. Attempting to change an
organization from a current structure that requires evolving and different ways
of thinking is challenging.
In
my organization, a current crop of MBA graduates hold the highest civilian
spots in management. Some of the ideas
that they are implementing have merit.
For instance, one of our competitors in the helicopter overhaul industry
was trying to show that a modulated cockpit would be faster, stronger, and
easier to install than the way that the Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD) did
it. They were pitching the idea to the
decision makers at the Department of Defense (DOD). One of our supervisors approached them and in
a classic jujitsu move, he not only acknowledged what they were saying about a
process improvement, but he wanted to buy their entire inventory on the spot! They were speechless and didn’t know how to
respond. We executed a tactic that
defeated part of their long-term strategy with that simple maneuver. I think it was brilliant. This was an example of not letting boundaries
or restrictions be imposed upon an organization from the outside. It may happen sometimes, but being flexible
and able to adapt to the changes is key.
Our
organization severely lacks continuous feedback from the employees. The workers usually produce the best ideas
for innovation and change. These ideas
are not formally solicited and acted upon.
I have tried to mitigate that deficiency by doing that in my role as the
aviation safety officer. As I tour the
industrial complex, I learn things from the workers that I did not know. For instance, we developed a liquid metal
technique that can refurbish the inside of a turbine engine. It may not seem like a big concept, but I
believe it is one of the reasons that are engines receive high marks for
quality and performance from the users of the product. In that aspect, we have been successful with
several examples that could be attributed to the positive side of the ledger
labeled the “Butterfly Effect”.
John
H2O
Reference: Obolensky, Nick (2016). Complex Adaptive
Leadership 2nd Edition. New York: Taylor and Francis
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