by Esther Derby | Feb 9, 2011 | Leadership & Management
It’s easy to be critical of middle managers. Some people view middle management as little more than a way station between “real” work and the executive suite. However, I believe middle managers have an essential role in enabling people and enhancing... by Esther Derby | Jan 25, 2011 | Systems and Complexity
One of the biggest mistakes people make is attributing system problems to individuals (and individual problems to the system). If you try to solve the problem on the wrong level, you are doomed to fail. Here’s a simple yet classic example of trying to solve a... by Esther Derby | Nov 2, 2010 | Leadership & Management, Organizational Change
I’ve seen lots of managers struggle to help teams. Often, they are driven by deadlines and goals set by their managers. They do what they think will help, acting out of their current view of how things work. Sometimes they look for new ideas on how to manage.... by Esther Derby | Oct 26, 2010 | Leadership & Management, Systems and Complexity
I’ve been writing about seeing systems, and got to thinking about a company I did some work for a few years ago–because they were a great example of how focusing on events leads to blame and prevents people from seeing patterns. Here’s the story.... by Esther Derby | Jun 24, 2010 | Leadership & Management, Systems and Complexity
We’ve long lived with the assumption that the people at the top of the organizations are the ones who understand the business. They understand the market, the product, the customers. They hold the financial information about how the company makes money and the...
