Harvard Business Review: A leader’s framework for decision making (November 2007 issue)

Summary

Not all leaders achieve the desired results when they face situations that require a variety of decisions and responses. All too often, managers rely on common leadership approaches that work well in one set of circumstances but fall short in others.

Why do these approaches fail even when logic indicates they should prevail? The answer lies in a fundamental assumption of organisational theory and practice: that a certain level of predictability and order exists in the world. This assumption, grounded in the Newtonian science that underlies scientific management, encourages simplifications that are useful in ordered circumstances. Circumstances change, however, and as they become more complex, the simplifications can fail.

Good leadership is not a one-size-fits-all proposition as David J. Snowden and Mary E. Boone discuss in this article for the Harvard Business Review. They look at the 'Cynefin framework' which allows executives to see things from new viewpoints, assimilate complex concepts, and address real-world problems and opportunities.