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Looking for a new and more effective way
to lead and manage in today's rapidly-changing and highly
competitive global marketplace? A growing number of business
leaders are turning to complexity science. To inspire new
ways of leading: allowing efficiency and creativity to emerge
naturally within organizations, much like nature creates
order from chaos.
Complexity theory shows us that many phenomena
-- from the human body to a laser beam -- are self-organizing
systems in which the individual parts adapt naturally to
create order out of chaos. Applying these principles to
business, complexity theorists maintain that much like a
baseball team, the ultimate success of any organization
depends on how well its members adapt their individual strengths
to work together. Thus, by discarding the traditional command-and-control
style of management in favor of one that encourages good
working relationships among their employees, today's managers
can expect more creative and productive solutions to arise
for the organization as a whole.
In The Complexity Advantage, consultants
Susanne Kelly and Mary Ann Allison give us the first truly
practical guide for using the principles of complexity theory
to transform any business, large or small, into one that
can consistently redefine itself to keep pace with today's
ever-changing marketplace. Based largely on the insights
they gained from Citibank's successful, pioneering implementation
of complexity-based programs in the workplace, the authors
provide a fascinating first-hand look at how complexity
theory was applied in the company's technology community
to meet a broad range of ongoing business challenges.
Managers, executives, and other company
leaders will learn how to avoid self-defeating business
practices that can deplete company resources, and discover
Fourteen Simple Steps for Success -- how to incorporate
Complexity Advantage principles into business -- that can
help turn any organization into one which can flourish and
adapt to meet any challenge tomorrow's marketplace may present.
There's even a section on helpful "tricks of the trade"
which can be easily implemented to reap immediate benefits.
A must-read for anyone looking to make their
organization more successful in a time of increasing competitive
pressures and market uncertainty, The Complexity Advantage
can show any business leader how to boost productivity,
acquire better ways of leading, and be better able to understand
and influence vital relationships with employees, customers,
and vendors.
Susanne Kelly is a vice president in Citibank's
Corporate Technology Office where she currently works as
Research Director for Citibank's Complexity and Organizational
Behavior Project. With over 20 years of high-powered business
responsibility spanning the communications, technology,
chemical manufacturing and banking industries, she has had
broad experience from marketing and customer service to
technology development. Ms. Kelly is also a popular international
speaker on complexity and organizational behavior.
Mary Ann Allison is a principal in The
Allison Group, LLC (www.allisongroup.com), a New York City
consulting firm providing services such as strategic planning,
organizational development, and generating virtual communities
to companies ranging from start-ups to multinationals like
Hewlett-Packard. Previously she was a vice president at
Citibank and president of an Internet start-up company.
She is also the author of Managing Up, Managing Down,
and speaks on complexity, business, and community.
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