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Organize for Complexity: How to Get Life Back Into Work to Build the High-Performance Organization (1) (Betacodex Publishing) Paperback – Illustrated, 19 Mar. 2014

by Niels Pflaeging (Author), Pia Steinmann (Illustrator)

4.2 55 ratings

Book 1 of 3: BetaCodex Publishing

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The long-awaited update for work and organizations in the knowledge age!

A book about complexity and work - and about how to deal productively with both.

A condensed introduction to the theory and practice of organizational high performance.

A manifesto for contemporary leadership and profound transformation in organizations of all kinds.

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Book 1 of 3

BetaCodex Publishing
Print length

142 pages
Language

English
Publisher

BetaCodex Publishing
Publication date

19 Mar. 2014
Dimensions

20.32 x 0.99 x 20.32 cm
ISBN-10

0991537602
ISBN-13

978-0991537600
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Product description

Review

"Organize for Complexity is one of the very best books I've read about change and how to successfully thrive within organizational life. Niels has thought deeply about organizational development." Michael Bungay Stanier

"Organize for Complexity is the essential handbook for management in the network era." Harold Jarche

"Boldly, Pflaeging dissects classic management theory and in a well-humored manner offers coherent alternatives." Harvard Business Review

"Niels Pflaeging is the father of the end of management." Winfried Felser, competence-site

"When Pflaeging shakes the dogmas of management, they crumble in his hands." Financial Times Germany

"Niels Pflaeging is always right up front, where the new in business is getting measured and mapped." Peter Felixberger, changeX

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ BetaCodex Publishing; 5th revised edition (19 Mar. 2014)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 142 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0991537602
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0991537600
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 20.32 x 0.99 x 20.32 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 731,350 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 1,534 in Organisational Theory & Behaviour Management
- 7,237 in Business Motivation Skills
- 8,595 in Business Leadership Skills

Customer reviews:
4.2 55 ratings

About the author

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Niels Pflaeging

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Niels Pflaeging is a passionate and thoughtful advocate for a “new breed“ of leadership and profound change in organizations. He is an acclaimed public speaker and author of several business books. Niels is founder of the BetaCodex Network, and co-founder of Red42 based in Wiesbaden, Germany. Niels was a director with the prestigious Beyond Budgeting Round Table, BBRT between 2003 and 2007.

Niels wrote ten books and many articles on leadership and transformation. His latest books include "Essays on Beta, Vol. 1" and "OpenSpace Beta" (together with Silke Hermann). His second book, “Leading with flexible Targets” was awarded the Financial Times Germany Best Business Book award, in 2006. His books were lauded by critics and readers and several became bestsellers. Since 2006, Niels has been strongly involved in transformational change initiatives as a short-time and long-time advisor, in firms both in Europe and in the Americas. Niels not only speaks – he walks the talk.

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4.2 out of 5

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Jevers

Organize to buy this book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 August 2014

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Organize for Complexity is an excellent book for anybody interested in Leadership and Organizational Change. It is structured into chapters but within the chapters there are self-contained ideas, models and tools that make sense for someone dipping in and out of the book. The ideas are well constructed with great illustrations making it an easy yet thought provoking read.

In my opinion I would say this is not a book for "managers" but one for those who consider themselves Leaders or Change Agents. The book contains plenty of references for those interesting in finding out more about this fascinating topic.

2 people found this helpful

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Kirjavainen Antti

Good, concise presentation

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 May 2014

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Niels Pflaeging has popularized a lot of the newer concept behind management of thought work into this pamphlet. The writing and layout work. Good introductory book for managers and executives not that familiar about this stuff beforehand.

One person found this helpful

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Stephen

Practical and fun - leaves you asking - why not try this, what's the worst that could happen?

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 June 2016

I enjoyed this book and the practical vision that it holds. I hope that it gets read broadly as it provides organisations and their leaders with the opportunity to ask "why couldn't we do this?" To provide a fun and effective competitive edge through organisation - after all you succeed by your business uniqueness not by being the average same.

I think this is the first book in a series and look forward to the next.

2 people found this helpful

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Jan Höglund

A small book on work and complexity with an emphasis on market dynamics

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 October 2016

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This is a small book on work and complexity. The book is intended to be a "textbook for thinking about organizations," a "source of inspiration," a "dictionary," and a "workbook" (p.x). Niels Pflaeging argues that "we must create and sustain organizations that are … robust for complexity, as well as fit for human beings" (p.xii).

Niels Pflaeging calls "control through bosses" Alpha, and "self-regulation within the team" Beta (p.26). Frederick W. Taylor introduced Alpha, the idea of "consistently dividing an organization between thinking people (managers) and executing people (workers)" (p.4). Pflaeging argues that "complexity can be neither managed, nor reduced" (p.9). What matters for "dealing effectively with complexity is human beings" (p.9). In organizations, a few "messes," causes "problems," and even more "symptoms" (p.12). By acting on the "messes with adequately complex solutions, many problems dissolve" (p.12).

Our "assumptions … shape our behavior, and the way we … run organizations" (p.17). The way we design our organizations, Alpha or Beta, depends on "the assumptions we hold about the human nature" (p.17). And the "diversity in motivations and preferences" between people "can be an asset, or a liability, depending on the level of self-reflection present" (p.23). An individual's behavior "is shaped by motives, preferences, and competencies" (p.25). Value, or results, arise from the "interaction between … individuals" (p.27). And people "communicate & connect in wildly different manners" (p.28).

"Teams" and "Groups" are different (p.35). "Teams are multi-functional, … or functionally integrated," while "Groups are uni-functional, or functionally differentiated" (p.35). Niels Pflaeging thinks that a better term for "self-organization" is a "socially dense market-organization" (p.36). He also thinks that "social pressure, used correctly," is "far more powerful than hierarchy" (p.37). "Coordination/communication" within the Team is "usually combined with market-like dynamics" (p.40). The communication "between teams is peer-to-peer" (p.41). Markets "require decentralization" (p.41).

Every organization has "informal structures" in which "social phenomena arise" (p.46). Informal structures "cannot be purposefully molded" (p.81). Every organization also has a "value creation structure" (p.47). "Organizational robustness … comes from the … inter-connections" between individuals and teams (p.48). And "decisions are taken where interaction with … the market occurs" (p.53). "Culture," furthermore, "is observable but not controllable" (p.54). "Market dynamics do the steering" (p.64). "Market pull … connects the market with the organization" (p.66).

Individuals are "not confined to one role" in a "decentralized network structure" (p.72). They "build individual role portfolios of their own" (p.72). Leadership is a "social process" which "operates by influencing people and their contexts" (p.77). Leadership "is a role, a kind of work, not a job" (p.83). Leadership "means working the system, not the people" (p.78). Reqruiting is the most important "leadership task of all" (p.84). Team-based "results" are made visible (p.79). "The interests of stakeholders are … interdependent" (p.81). A successful organization creates value "for all stakeholders" (p.81).

"Dynamic-robust network organizations need … efficient decision-making" (p.88), and "fast and easy access to information" (p.86). "Consultative individual decision-making" can be found "in organizations with … decentralized decision-making" (p.88). Consultation refers to "the collection of information and advice, before making a decisions" (p,88). Beta "requires dealing with power and communication" in ways which are "not built into" our "reflexes"(p.101).

Organizational change "thrives on being operated … by all the members of the organization" (p.105). It can neither be "planned, nor programmed" (p.105). Profound "organizational and personal" change are "intertwined and inseparable" (p.107). "There are three things that anyone can do to … nudge" change (p.109): (1) "Encourage … dialogue and networking;" (2) "Use existing forums;" (3) "Remove what hinders" (p.109).

To summarize, this is a small book which is very easy to read. Nils Pflaeging addresses questions related to people, work and complexity, with a strong emphasis on market dynamics. Maybe too strong? Getting life back to work has as much to do with compex human relationships as with market pull. The book has wonderful illustrations and can be used as a source of inspiration.

2 people found this helpful

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Henrik Moller Andersen

Complete nonsense

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 December 2014

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Beyond budgeting provides a very interesting analysis of one of the core organisational systems - this book however is symbolic of what happens when finance thinkers venture into fields of expertise too far removed from their own...

One person found this helpful

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Yol

Just full of opinion

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 February 2022

I was privy to this book when it was first launched and at the time it was very novel in its presentation, and conceptually the ideas are interesting.

Lift the hood and you have very little substance, yes the patterns would make sense, but only to the lucky few that could work in decentralised business.

Interesting pictures, not anything new or novel here tho.

One person found this helpful

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PureSymmetry

Too short

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 February 2018

I really wanted to like this book, but as I'm an apparent novice in this I found that this book raises more questions than it answers. I came away confused and am now looking for a book that will actually answer the questions I have.

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Shabnoor

Easy but insightful read

Reviewed in Germany on 6 June 2019

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Easy read. Simple but can challenge your thinking if you are an old-school thinker of traditional ways of leading and managing.

Patricia

Mind changing

Reviewed in Spain on 1 February 2019

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Really interesting, mind changing, but at the same time easy to read.

Nick Argall

Simlpistic but persuasive

Reviewed in Australia on 19 February 2019

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This is a really well-formulated and persuasive argument for a position I disagree with. The underlying premise (that all 'management' is fraud, and that hierarchy serves purely to the detriment of organizations) is appealing to the disaffected folks who are suffering under incompetent management. But it's not true. As such, the various prescriptions ignore the fact that experience and accumulated skills mean something. This will work well for Silicon Valley startups, but not so much elsewhere.

David Lee

A great introduction to the topic of Complexity

Reviewed in the United States on 8 September 2016

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After about 20 years learning about and dealing with Complexity at Fortune 50 company and then with a global outsourcing organization, I decided to take up the issue as my central career. I found Organize for Complexity through social media and bought it as part of my education on the business applications of the theories. More recently used the book to educate my one of biggest consulting client on the topic as well. While most books can be a bit scary to the uninitiated, Organize for Complexity is practical, illustrative and provides lasting (sometimes shocking) insights. I often feel like a lone voice, but I am slowly finding more and more leaders who are willing to listen and learn about Complexity and this book helps the expedite the conversion process.

5 people found this helpful

David Sabine

Every business administration student should read this book. Every ...

Reviewed in Canada on 6 April 2015

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Every business administration student should read this book. Every business leader should read this book. Every entrepreneur should read this book.

2 people found this helpful

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Organize for Complexity: How to Get Life Back Into Work to Build the High-Performance Organization (1) (Betacodex Publishing) Paperback – Illustrated, 19 Mar. 2014

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