Once again, we offer a rollup of Dr. Kathy Allen’s most popular blogs of the year.
Enjoy the articles that resonated most with our readers in 2023!
1. Kicking off our rollup in the top spot, Dr. Kathy Allen’s blog post on The Iceberg of Ignorance offered a compelling look at the communication gaps in organizations and the significant difference in problem awareness between front-line staff and executives.
2. In The Moon is Always Full, Dr. Allen drew from a Zen story to illustrate the importance of recognizing both visible and invisible aspects in communities and companies. This perspective challenges leaders to acknowledge and harness powerful unseen forces that shape our organizations.
3. Some people seek to avoid disruption, others aim to survive through it, and a few embrace it as an opportunity for growth and innovation. In September, Dr. Allen wrote about the importance of Dancing with Disruption, particularly in organizations that face shifting dynamics.
4. In The Problem with Productivity, Dr. Allen challenged the conventional emphasis on productivity and profits in the workplace, especially in the context of remote work, suggesting that successful organizations provide much more fulfilling and meaningful work experiences.
5. The New Metaphors for Change series introduced innovative metaphors to conceptualize change in living systems, contrasting them with traditional, mechanistic approaches.
These metaphors underscore the significance of adaptability, patience, and nurturing environments in facilitating change within interdependent systems.
6. Resilience is characterized by the ability to absorb disruptions while maintaining functionality. In Resilience and Adaptive Systems, Dr. Allen provided a holistic perspective crucial for effectively responding to external disruptions.
7. In Three Big Problems with the Ownership Mindset, Dr. Allen delved into the pitfalls of an ‘ownership’ approach for leaders and the detrimental impacts of viewing staff
as ‘owned’ assets.
8. Inspired by Michael Meade’s insights on perfectionism, Finding the Right Kind of Trouble explained how ‘productive trouble’ fosters resilience, creativity, and self-discovery, essential for personal and organizational evolution
9. The Unknown Unknowns tackled the complexity of modern organizational decision-making, arguing a systemic approach focused on recognizing patterns and dynamics as a way to adeptly manage unforeseen challenges and complexities in today’s ever-changing world
10. Societal norms and expectations are being redefined in the face of climate change. A Shift in the Overton Window invited readers to reflect on how these changes are impacting our lives and communities.
