Introduction

The very positive landscape that we described in the first chapter is clouded by a significant threat to progress—the threat of complexity. Complexity threatens to overwhelming our workplaces and our society. The reality in which we are living at the beginning of the third millennium is characterized by a drastic rise in complexity, which has caused rapid changes in corporate and human behavior. Complexity is an inherently subjective concept; what is considered complex depends on the point of view of a given individual or organization. When we term something complex, what we are doing is using everyday language to express a feeling or impression that we dignify with the label complex.

Every time a decision is made to significantly ...

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