I’ve got a bit of a different newsletter for you today.
I’ve got something that’s on the tip of my tongue that I’m trying to articulate. A thought that’s in the process of crystallizing—and I could use your input to solidify it.
Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about the way that work has changed over the last 20 to 30 years. I think that that’s the time frame in which the world really shifted from being complicated (lots of things to keep track of) to being complex (driven by systems and interactions).
In a complicated world, we can improve things with better procedures. We can consider what needs to be done and, if we make sure we do the right things at the right time, we’ll mostly be OK. (Think Atul Gawande’s Checklist Manifesto).
But, in a complex world, we improve by learning from the system itself. We gather data about what works and what doesn’t. We need people to speak up. Managers to listen. And feedback loops that capture both positive lessons and cautionary tales and distribute them throughout an organization or company.
As many of you know, my book Meltdown was all about the way that things go wrong in complex systems. Complexity can push systems toward catastrophic outcomes where the system behaves in ways that designers and operators never foresaw.
That brings us to the theory I’m developing now.
In addition to the ways that complexity creates opportunities for failure, I think it makes day-to-day work harder.
We have to process more information and manage more connections than ever before. Complexity obscures the solutions to problems. And even when we come up with solutions, we have to implement them within a system where we may only be able to influence a slice of things.
I’m hoping to gather some data on people’s experiences. Whether you’ve been in the workforce for decades or just started your career, I suspect each and every one of you have insights on this.
So, please tag me on social media (handles below) and let me know:
-
How has your industry or discipline gotten more complex over time?
-
How has that affected your day-to-day work?
Thanks. It’s a big help.
* * *
Want to get these articles in your inbox? Subscribe here to join the conversation and download a sample from Meltdown.