About this book
'From Silos to Network' provides the conceptual framework and a comprehensive guide to the principles, methods and tools for managing organizations in the age of complexity, based on the development and international implementations of the Decalogue management method.
An exponential growth of interconnections and interdependencies defines the scenario that Industry, Government, Healthcare and organizations at large must now be equipped to tackle; unfortunately, the majority of decision makers lack the relevant knowledge to understand and navigate complexity in every aspect of leadership and management, from strategy through to operations. This “New Knowledge” is rarely found within organizations and it is not taught in Business Schools.
Most organizations still operate within a framework of linear thinking and a traditional hierarchy with separate business functions that inevitably create silos. We present a methodology, 'The Decalogue’, that portrays a genuinely systemic approach for managing complexity in organizations and Value Chains through focusing on the management of a leverage point called constraint (Theory of Constraints) and the understanding of variation (Theory of Profound Knowledge).
The Decalogue methodology, first published in 1999, was developed to facilitate the organizational transformation from silo to system, and has been implemented internationally in dozens of organizations of different sizes and in a wide variety of sectors since 1996. This systemic approach leverages the intrinsic process and project-based nature of the work of organizations. Functional hierarchy is replaced by a network-like structure, driven by the goal of the system and governed by a new design of the organization called “Network of Projects”.
The transition towards the Network of Projects requires a cognitive shift in the way we view and put to good use human talent and ingenuity as well as a powerful algorithm to orchestrate and synchronize individual competencies. We discuss at length this algorithm, how the Theory of Constraints helps in the cognitive challenges of this shift and also how technology can be used fruitfully to assist with the operational implications.
In this book the authors provide a robust and sustainable model for organizations to adapt and develop within the complex environments that characterize our contemporary reality. In addition, this model enables organizations to achieve considerably more, operationally and financially, with the finite capacity they have available.
Leaders and managers of organizations as well as researchers and practitioners in the field of management and organizational design will find invaluable insights.