Alicia Juarrero writes on complexity, constraints and coherence. I asked her how organizations come to life through the web of relationships inside them, and what that means for Boyd’s OODA loop.
A web of interdependencies
Task interdependence, reward systems and even small artifacts shape behavior in an organization. Those interactions let it adapt, evolve and respond to change. Leaders who understand the dynamics can work with them.
Entropy and constraints
Alicia draws on Heisenberg, Prigogine, Bejan, Collier and others. She explains entropy, far-from-equilibrium systems and the role of constraints. Constraints can give people inside an organization abilities they would not have otherwise.
Orientation and the body
Proprioception, the sense of the body in space, becomes the cornerstone of the talk. Athletes rely on it to move through space. Culture, genetics and experience combine with the environment to shape our orientation and our decisions.
Alicia gives a rigorous account of why orientation sits at the center of the OODA loop.
Which constraints in your organization enable people, and which only hold them back?
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