It was good to be part of the GIA National Conference with a theme of “governance in a world of disruption”. There were many speakers and varied topics.
It concerns me that while I heard a lot of wise, thoughtful words very few people directly tackled the idea that the capability of individuals and organisations to operate in complexity is, in and of itself, a critical factor in good governance.
All the wisdom in the world does not mean that we will truly understand the next new complex challenge we face, without first probing, sensing, and investigating with an open mind and appropriate tools of inquiry and analysis.
That’s the nature of complexity – each complex system and situation has its own dance, its own tune – and we must try to see or hear it before we can decide how best to act. If that’s true, good governance in a world of disruption inherently MUST include building the capability to work in and on complexity.
This seems obvious to me, yet few people seem to tackle this directly. Am I off the planet? Richard Barber
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