Many organizational problems emerge when executives forget to take a systemic perspective of the organization. This document outlines 10 challenges that commonly arise: 1) confusing strategy with plans, 2) designing organizations in fragmented ways, 3) treating certain beliefs as absolute truths, 4) allowing politics to dominate, 5) limiting perceptions of leadership, 6) reinforcing "silos", 7) relying on symptomatic solutions, 8) having chaotic communication without order, 9) being dazzled by management fads, and 10) allowing workers to become disconnected. Addressing these challenges can help improve organizational performance.

1. Centro de Estrategia, Liderazgo y Transformación©
Complex Problems Solving
in the Organization
Ten challenges to improve
performance

2. Many of the more rooted organizational problems emerge when
executives forget the systemic perspective. Modern organizations
require that all their design´s degrees of freedom be used to maximize
performance.
In the next slides, there are some of the most critical and traditionally
unattended problems, as a small guide to start the improvement.

3. Although many companies have very detailed plans to guide everyday
actions, they forget to prior craft the strategy to better compete in the
game.
1.- Strategy confused with plans

4. Organization always try to optimize People, Technology, Management
and Culture dimensions, but from an isolated perspective
2.- Fragmented organizational design

5. It´s very difficult to try new things when top leaders in the organization
don’t listen and create a code of absolute and unquestionable truths
3.- Paradigms that are absolute truths

6. If the law of the stronger pervades, people will look for egoist postures
in their decisions, attempting against synergy and organizational
stability.
4.- Organizational politics

7. Most of the organizations have leaders without the required competencies,
creating a huge cost over performance, with ripple effects in all directions.
5.- Limited perception of Leadership

8. Rules and metrics that compensate only for individual and departmental
performance reinforce "us versus them" behaviors and lack of cooperation
6.- Silos

9. Nowadays fast pace organizational rhythm forces companies to forget deep
problem analysis, provoking cheap solutions that make situations worse
7.- Symptomatic solutions

10. Even organizational communication requires rules to function better.
We have a lot of technology and systems but no operating rules that
make communication chaotic.
8.- Communication without order

11. Managerial trends bring on a lot of novelty and innovation, however,
implemented without a serious diagnosis could become a waste of time.
9.- Dazzled by fads

12. Without the right direction, development, and motivation people will
pursue unrealistic goals and nonvalue added activities.
10.- Disconnected worker

13. Alfonso Cornejo
Consultant with 25 years of experience. Author of 2 books on Organizational Complexity. Associate professor at EGADE MBA in México and
UIDE International MBA in Ecuador. Competences: Strategic Thinking, Complex Problems Solving, Organizational Development and Cultural
Transformation.

14. Contacto ACCELUM Consulting Network
Groundwork
Ave Lázaro Cárdenas No. 1007, 2o Piso Valle Oriente, San Pedro Garza García, NL. CP 66266, MX
Tel. + 52 81 8220 9075
CP. + 52 81 8029 7783
accelum@gmail.com