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Today's businesses are constantly under
pressure to innovate -- to develop new products, processes,
and even organizational structures -- in order to remain
vibrant and healthy. But many businesses fall into the trap
of doing more of the same, only faster. How can they break
free of old patterns without overextending their resources
or losing sight of their core goals and capabilities?
In Open Boundaries, Howard Sherman
and Ron Schultz bring fresh, new insights from the field
of complexity thinking -- the study of dynamic evolving
systems -- to unleash creativity and innovation throughout
the organization. Drawing from their groundbreaking research
at the Santa Fe Center for Emergent Strategies, the authors
challenge readers to explore the underlying principles,
cognitive models, and rules that govern their decisions
and actions to reveal -- and, more importantly, overcome
-- obstacles to innovation and growth.
Open Boundaries introduces a practical
vocabulary to help managers understand, analyze, and nurture
the creative process by eschewing linear "cause-and-effect"
approaches to decision making in favor of an approach that
thrives on ambiguity and unpredictability. Showcasing the
pioneering efforts of such organizations as Xerox-PARC,
Applied Biosystems, Patagonia, and the United States Marine
Corps, the authors vividly illustrate the power of complexity
thinking in action -- from creating new markets to establishing
new ways of spreading emerging knowledge throughout the
company.
Ultimately, Open Boundaries is about
ideas, the most powerful of which is realizing that organizations
are not mechanical entities, but living systems that are
constantly adjusting and adapting to both internal and external
forces of change. By embracing this perspective, businesses
can become far more creative, innovative, and profitable
than they might ever have thought possible.
Howard Sherman is a Managing Director
of the Santa Fe Center for Emergent Strategies, a leader
in the application of complexity thinking to business. A
former member of the Santa Fe Institute's Business Network,
he has also served as an executive at Midas Inc. and president
of Dion Corporation.
Ron Schultz is a senior consultant for
the Santa Fe Center for Emergent Strategies. Formerly a
contributor to Omni
magazine, he is a founding partner in Learning Arts Publications
and has written and cowritten ten books on business management.
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