Sublime

as you add links, to test them also as “loops.” Identify each new loop as “balancing” (moving toward stability) or “reinforcing” (pushing growth or decline) based only on its behavior: regardless of the number of factors or elements it contains, or its position in the diagram.

Archetype 1: “Fixes That Backfire”

This process is so fundamental to collaboration without hierarchy that many self-managing organizations train every new recruit in conflict resolution.

As Ed worked throughout the eighties, he continually refined his ideas and teachings around Profound Knowledge. Those six management principles he originally taught at Nashua soon morphed into his now-famous “14 Points for Management,” which he outlines in Out of the Crisis.

In the late 1990s, a group of midlevel students at GE’s Crotonville leadership institute challenged him, saying that the “#1, #2, fix, close, or sell” strategy was hurting the company because executives were gaming the system.

The widespread lack of motivation we witness in many organizations is a devastating side effect of the unequal distribution of power.

Problem-solving efforts are not driven by clear problem statements, they are not mapped against overall targets, and they are rarely escalated to the person or group best positioned to resolve the issue.

they can choose to gradually abandon maturing practice areas in order to maintain stability in firm culture and management, requiring them to move into new practice areas that more closely match the basic approach of the firm.

CEO must be the CIO—the Chief Innovation Officer!”). This usually results in chaos, the top-left quadrant. Not every phone operator has to be a champion innovator. Sometimes you just need them to answer the phone. The most common trap, however, is to head straight to the bottom-right quadrant. As mentioned earlier, leaders proudly draw a box on an