Chapter 9. Building Large Adaptive Teams

An Achilles’ Heel?

“I’ve been thinking,” Herman said as Maya answered the phone.

“Dangerous business, thinking,” Maya laughed.

“Yeah, but first some good news. I’m actually about to finish up this Web project, and it’s really gone well. Mostly I’ve struggled with my management, but they’ve come around—at least a little.”

“Great! These little changes can lead to bigger ones.”

“However, about management issues. I’ve been trying to reconcile this adaptive organization stuff with what I know about how organizations work, and it just doesn’t hang together. For the average company, I just don’t think depending on self-discipline will work. It’s the Achilles’ heel of APM,” said Herman.

“First of all, ...

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