Chapter 1

Don't forget - this week only we have two posts - so if you want to read in order, scroll down and read the post on the preface and intro first and then come back to this one.

Chapter 1: Reconceiving the Challenge of Change

In the introduction, our authors told us that Chapter 1 "provides the theoretical and empirical foundations for all the accounts and practices that follow" (p. 6).  Like our introduction post, I'm going to begin with a few lines/thoughts that really resonated with me.

• "...human capability will be the critical variable in the new century."  p. 11
• It's hard not to feel both anxiety and excitement with this statement, "When we experience the world as "too complex" we are not just experiencing the complexity of hte world.  We are experiencing a mismatch between the world's complexity and our own at this moment.  There are only two logical ways to mend this mismatch - reduce the world's complexity or increase our own." - p. 12

A few questions to get our conversation started:

1. Do you agree with the statement that human capability will be the critical variable in the new century?  Why or why not?  Do you think this statement has always been true or does it have new meaning in the current world context?  
2. What are you doing to make your workplace "the most fertile ground in the world for the growth of talent?" (p. 11)
3. When you consider the role of information in terms of gaining/giving political power, how does the discussion of the three plateaus of mental complexity (starts on p. 16) make you think of the role of mental complexity in applying the political frame in your work context?