Smarter People or Simpler Environments?
Well, that's a good question, no? We are very excited to welcome Dr. Nelson Repenning this month to discuss his approach to this vexing question. Here's how he describes his talk:
Proponents of the “complexity school” have long explored ways to help leaders better manage their organizations. Most of these efforts have focused on improving the mental maps and models that leaders use to make sense of their environments—operating under the assumption that better understanding leads to better management. However, the evidence supporting the effectiveness of this approach remains mixed.
In this talk, I will introduce an alternative: Dynamic Work Design (DWD). DWD is a set of tools that enables managers to redesign the core work of their organizations in ways that align more closely with the existing mental models of the people doing the work. Early anecdotal evidence suggests that this approach holds significant promise for enhancing organizational performance.
I will begin with a brief overview and critique of the traditional approach, introduce the principles of Dynamic Work Design, summarize its initial outcomes, and conclude with a discussion of current challenges and future directions.
Bio
Nelson P. Repenning is the Faculty Director of the MIT Leadership Center and the School of Management Distinguished Professor of System Dynamics and Organization Studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management.
His early work focused on understanding the inability of organizations to leverage well-established tools and practices. He has worked extensively with organizations trying to develop new capabilities in both manufacturing and new product development. Nelson has also studied the failure to use the safety practices that often lead to industrial accidents and has helped investigate several major incidents. This line of research has been recognized with several awards, including best paper recognition from both the California Management Review and The Journal of Product Innovation Management.
Building on his earlier work, Nelson now focuses on developing the theory and practice of Dynamic Work Design—a new approach to designing work that is both effective and engaging—and Dynamic Management Systems, a method for ensuring that day-to-day work is tightly linked to the strategic objectives of the firm. His book (co-authored with Don Kieffer), There Has Got to Be a Better Way, describing Dynamic Work Design, will be published by Public Affairs in 2025. He is also a partner at ShiftGear Work Design and serves as its chief social scientist.
In 2003, Nelson received the International System Dynamics Society’s Jay Wright Forrester Award, which recognizes the best work in the field in the previous five years. In 2011, he received the Jamieson Prize for Excellence in Teaching. He was recently recognized by Poets and Quants as one of the country's top instructors in executive education.
Nelson is also an avid bike racer and regularly competes in Masters cycling events.
He holds a BA in economics from Colorado College and a PhD in operations management and system dynamics from MIT.
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This event will be recorded. The event link will be published on meetup.com 1 hour prior.
Please note the time slot- this is an afternoon event for those of you on EST (1:00 pm to 3:00 pm).
