Planning is important but it isn’t everything.
As the rate of change around us continues to increase,
improvisation (flexibility) is crucial. But even our improvisation requires some structure.
Success is determined by how we manage the
intersection.
Success depends on knowing when to adjust
the mix.
Of all the insightful graphics David Armano has produced, this one is
my favorite!
I like to view this is a sliding scale where
the circles move in either direction, causing the overlap to become larger or
smaller, depending upon our goals.
What do you think?
Karin – I’ve been sick all week – perhaps the funniest part of this is that I didn’t remember what I wrote!!! — Ann
Hi Ann
Don’t give me too much credit, how can I not remember what you wrote when you linked to that also excellent post? 😉
Karin H.
Karin – I think that might be the very first time someone quoted me to me. I’m honored you remembered what I wrote – and it feels a bit weird! Thanks for the first.
Hi Ann
If you combine:
The hard part is finding “the right measure.”
with:
Success depends on knowing when to adjust the mix.
I think the hard part does become part of the success.
Karin H. (Keep It Simple Sweetheart, specially in business)
Benjamin – I completely agree. I love David’s graphics he really has a way with pictures. If you don’t already visit his blog you should follow the link above and look at some of his work. Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words!
Ann
(PS when you figure out the drawing package, let me know how it works!)
Dean – this is fascinating. I started poking around on Arie de Geus and started getting very interested (after laughing about how Google ad words offered me Air filters and the Guess jeans site in the sponsored links).
What I find interesting in my cursory investigation is that de Geus seemed to believe that companies should live longer = contrast that with some (Tom Peters) that believe that there is a value to the “flashes in the pan” too – like Netscape or Napster.
It seems that when considering the optimal longevity of a company their value or impact isn’t only the result of their lifespan. I bet we could talk about this for hours!!!
Thanks for the though provoking comments!!
Very cool. It is amazing how quickly and powerfully a graphic conveys a concept. I haven’t used diagrams on my blog for a while. Time for me to get out the drawing package!
Arie de Geus wrote in “The Living Company” some very interesting things about planning … and I think it leaves much room for improvising. It also probably calls for some sort of continuous planning, which the human brain apparently is well suited for. He said that “we can only see what is relevant to our view of the future”. He talks about research showing that our “brain is constantly attempting to make sense of the future”. We make he said a memory of the future. We are constantly planning. And this planning allows us to recognize things relevant to our earlier thoughts as we begin to experience them. We need at least some planning to be able to improvise. Without some structure to the planning we may not be able to recognize the possibilities in front of us.
I like the concept of the sliding scale. Fits perfectly, and it allows the starchiness of planning to be leavened by the serendipity of improvisation.