The Devil is Not in the Details!

Presented by John Pourdehnad at In2:InThinking Network 2007 Forum,
Los Angeles, April 14, 2007

The cliché "the devil is in the details” means that it is easy to talk about the current reality but difficult to arrive at. With the world characterized by complexity, chaos and discontinues changes, such admonitions no longer stand the test of times. To arrive at the “current reality,” with the world that is dynamically and globally interconnected, management scientists and practitioners are increasingly turning to approaches that are holistic in nature. A familiar proverb: “a picture is worth a thousand words” that refers to the idea that complex stories can be told with just a single still image, is touted as a thought process to untangling complexities. An approach that would help us to visualize where substantial amounts of data and information must be absorbed quickly in order to arrive at innovative strategies. To address the above challenges, we need to develop a thinking that is distinct from conventional management thinking. “System thinking” as an alternative world view to conventional thinking will be introduced and the implications for management will be discussed.

To see the presentation, click on the link: The Devil is Not in the Details!