Next Practice

1. There is a proliferation of "best practices" (BPM, Enterprise Architecture, Six Sigma, Lean, Project Management, ...) with the following characteristics
  • single perspective or "lens" - single dimension of success
  • community of practice - regular conferences and other tribal get-togethers where practitioners can share experience
  • established "body of knowledge"
  • industrialized practice - for example, armies of consultants from the large firms executing standard recipes
2. The generic problems with these "best practices" are becoming increasingly visible.
  • the communities of practice don't talk to each other
  • the bodies of knowledge are isolated knowledge silos
  • the simple and obvious problems have already been tackled (so-called "low-hanging fruit"), the practices are getting more complicated and convoluted, and the original insights have got diluted or even lost
3. Meanwhile, the problems faced by business are getting more complex and difficult
  • diminishing returns from "best practice" solutions
  • increasing risk and reduced returns for "best practice" consultancy
  • increasing disappointment and high failure rate of large complex change programs
4. Therefore we need to promote a different approach to solving large complex problems, which we are calling "next practice".
  • system leadership - engaging boldly, reflectively and collaboratively
  • lenscraft - combining multiple perspectives on complex system problems
Wikispaces

Not consultancy, not industry analysis, but something beyond both. Not just a think tank but a practice lab; not just a network but a distributed network of active and reflective next-practitioners.

The Next Practice Research Initiative supports the development and exploitation of innovative problem-solving and change management techniques within complex system environments.

The Next Practice Research Initiative offers bootcamp training in new techniques, as well as advanced support for the application of these techniques in large and small organizations.



Wikispaces