Mayhem Loves Company: The Relationship Between Complexity and Collaboration

As we work our way from clear to complicated to complex, we increasingly need other perspectives to solve problems, make the most of opportunities, and get work done effectively. We’ve seen people in complex situations, we’ve seen people create their own complex situations, we’ve seen people who are just clueless and screwing around.

One thing is true, when things get complex, people get blamed. When things get complex, people point fingers. When things get complex, people yell or have tantrums. We have seen mayhem.

We do this until a group of people get together to professionally respond to the complexity.

Jim will talk about professionals dealing with complexity through intentional collaboration, specifically:

- Triggers: What tools can we devise to alert us to emergent complexity?
- Culture: How do we build cultures that respect complexity and prepare for it?
- Process: What standard work can we employ to deal sanely with non-standard situations?
- Diversity and Neurodiversity: How do the brains we bring to the table create a problem-solving juggernaut?

Bio:
Jim Benson is the CEO of Modus Cooperandi, and co-founder of Modus Institute along with Tonianne DeMaria. A pioneer in applying Lean and Kanban methodologies to knowledge work, Jim is the creator of Personal Kanban and Lean Coffee, and co-author of Personal Kanban: Mapping Work | Navigating Life, winner of the prestigious Shingo Research and Publication Award. Jim is a sought-after keynote speaker and humane management thought leader who coaches and supports companies and knowledge workers at organizations around the globe. His other books include Why Plans Fail, Why Limit WIP, and Beyond Agile. His upcoming book The Collaboration Equation will be out in Summer 2022.