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A leader’s framework for decision making
... Cynefin Framework був вперше опублікований у 2000 р. (Snowden, 2000). Пізніша стаття в Harvard Business Review від 2007 р. надала перше узагальнення як модель стратегії, яка розглядається як система, що може допомогти практикам належним чином відчути контекст прийняття рішення (Snowden, & Boone, 2007). Методика Cynefin Framework широко використовується в різних наукових дисциплінах для аналізу складних процесів прийняття рішень. ...
The increasing digitalization of the world underscores the critical importance of both social and technical aspects in software engineering practice. While prior research links socio-technical congruence (STC) to positive workstream outcomes, the current convergence of digital products, technologies, and social systems introduces novel and often unpredictable results, driven by the complex interplay of leadership, organizational culture, and software engineering practices operating as a complex adaptive system (CAS). This paper proposes a novel model for adopting socio-cultural practices to bridge the social and technical divide through the lens of STC. The innovation of the model lies in its socio-technical evolutionary journey, built upon dual systems: (1) an analytical System-I focused on enhancing robustness via compliance with Lean and Agile socio-cultural practices, and (2) a holistic System-II emphasizing resilience through an acceptance of interdependence of system actors that requires sense-making techniques. A methodology based on this model was piloted across six case studies: three in an Enterprise IT organization and three in two business units undergoing transformations on Lean and Agile plus DevOps adoption. System-I’s robustness was evaluated through surveys and structured STC maturity assessments (self and guided ones). System-II employed sense-making techniques to foster resilience within the system of work (SoW), laying the groundwork for their evolutionary journeys. The findings reveal a significant need for greater alignment between management (as transformation agents) and software engineering practices. However, the study suggests actionable guidelines, grounded in new principles and mental models for operating within a CAS, to cultivate enhanced resilience and robustness in a VUCA world.
Given the complex eco-social challenges humanity faces, deep transformations in policy and politics are needed to support necessary transitions. A key aspect is reshaping how governments interact with territorial actors when addressing complex challenges —an outward change that also requires inward transformation within governments. While action research (AR) offers frameworks for organisational change (e.g., Coghlan and Brannick 2001; Greenwood and Levin 2007), the Action Research for Territorial Development (ARTD) approach focuses on transforming inter-organisational relationships within a territory. However, all these contributions often overlook the need to integrate both inward and outward transformations. This paper draws on the case of Bilbao Next Lab— a policy laboratory to foster urban competitiveness through ARTD—to contribute to the AR literature and propose a new framework for simultaneously addressing government and territorial transformation. The analysis is focused on a year-long process involving seven reflection–action cycles within two dialogue spaces with policymakers from Bilbao Ekintza, the economic development agency of Bilbao City Council. These spaces involved both technical staff and senior policymakers. The findings highlight the importance of addressing both territorial and organisational complexity in action research processes aimed at fostering inward and outward transformations. More open, horizontal, and participatory forms of interaction within governments can promote the joint participation of members of higher and lower positions in collaborative governance spaces, thereby strengthening territorial praxis by bridging reflection and decision-making with action. Furthermore, when these different profiles engage in territorial spaces, the effectiveness of collaborative governance tends to increase.
Background
Uncertainty is pervasive in clinical medicine and provides a major hurdle for decision-making. Our previous work has demonstrated the importance of providing parents of paediatric patients reassurance in the medical team’s plan of action, what we have termed “comfort with doctors’ reassurance.”
Aims
We provide several practical and implementable tips to medical students in how they can learn to deal with their own uncertainty, recognize the subtle complexities involved and acknowledge the emotional stress that can accompany this process, develop a healthy long-term relationship with uncertainty, and ultimately embrace its potential in providing holistic care to their patients and their caregivers.
Results
Twelve tips and actions in four main domains are recommended: (A) Understanding and Integrating Uncertainty into Medical Education, (B) Building Resilience and Empathy Through Self-Regulation and Reflection, (C) Enhancing Communication and Relationship-Building Skills, and (D) Clinical Skills for Reassurance and Decision-Making.
Conclusions
Even though uncertainty in medical decision-making is pervasive and challenging for the medical trainee, there are several concrete strategies that can build comfort with uncertainty in trainees and reinforce the potential positive attributes of uncertainty in the holistic care of patients. Empathy and expressing compassion remain key skills in bridging caregiver discomfort with uncertainty and comfort with doctors’ reassurance.
In safety- and security critical contexts such as crises management, emergency response and defence, actors must be able to manage complex problems. In this paper we study the organisation of functional competence within teams engaged in dynamic decision-making tasks, such as teams working within a command and control process. More specifically we investigate if team performance is affected by the level of variety of functional competence within teams, in relation to the level of complexity of their task. 18 teams with four members each, participated in experiments with a simulated microworld. Our results show no significant difference in the overall performance between the high variety teams and the low variety teams. However, process measures, such as decision-making speed, and the capability to extinguish fires in the simulated world, still indicate a performance advantage for the low variety teams, at least at a relatively higher level of external complexity.
This study adapted the Socioenvironmental Vulnerability Index (SEVI) for rural communities in Espírito Santo, Brazil, considering climatic, environmental and social factors. The analysis included using an integration of indices, such as the Environmental Vulnerability Index (EnVuIn) and the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI). The inclusion of variables, such as the Water Quality Index (WQI), the percentage of conflicting use of Permanent Preservation Areas (PPAs) and the existence of water reservoirs, presented new elements that directly influence environmental vulnerability. The results indicate significant human interference in PPAs with high rates of conflicting use, especially in the communities of Boa Esperança (85.8%) and José Marcos (85.4%). The absence of water reservoirs proved to be a critical factor for the water security of the communities. Communities such as Novo Sonho presented high poverty rates, reflecting a high SVI (0.61). The EnVuIn indicated high environmental vulnerability in the communities of Boa Esperança, Santa Clara, Ita, Novo Sonho and Monte Alegre. Integrating the indicators and adapting the methodology resulted in a high SEVI for most communities, with emphasis on Novo Sonho and Boa Esperança (0.54), classified as very high. The study reinforces the need for public policies to reduce socioenvironmental risks and promote sustainability in rural communities.
A gestão de risco em projeto apresenta um papel fundamental para o sucesso de projeto, principalmente, em ambientes caracterizados pela complexidade. Para analisar a complexidade de projeto, podem ser empregadas diversas abordagens, entre elas, o Cynefin. O Cynefin é um framework que classifica os projetos em cinco domínios, o óbvio, complicado, complexo, caótico e desordenado. Neste contexto, este artigo analisa a aplicação da estrutura Cynefin na gestão de riscos, enfatizando como esta abordagem auxilia instituições a interpretar contextos variados e a tomar decisões apropriadas. O artigo destaca que a compreensão do domínio em que um projeto se enquadra permite que as instituições implementem estratégias de mitigação de riscos mais eficaz, promovendo a resiliência, a capacidade de adaptação. Além disso, destaca a importância de promover uma cultura de aprendizagem contínua e de inovação. Em conclusão, a estrutura Cynefin oferece um quadro importante para a gestão de risco, capacitando as instituições a responderem de maneira adequada e flexível às incertezas (riscos) do ambiente que se apresentem.
The chapter explores the experiences of international employees within large UK organisations. It explores how diverse cultures interact and are led in the workplace. Using semi-structured interviews with senior leaders from the international workforce, the study investigates their professional journeys, challenges, and opportunities. Key themes such as cultural integration, professional development, and support structures are identified. The research emphasises the importance of fostering inclusive work environments and organisational interventions to better support international staff. The study also highlights challenges related to data interpretation and small sample sizes, impacting the depth of analysis and findings within this field, and recommends improved leadership practices.
We investigate the utility of knowledge sources (employees, top management, external sources) for organizational adaptation in contexts of varying environmental turbulence. To successfully adapt, firms require knowledge on what and how to change. Building on the knowledge-based view, we argue that knowledge sources vary in their ability to update knowledge that fits the focal firm’s knowledge requirements. We propose that the source’s focus of attention and recency of interaction with focal firm specificities influence the source’s knowledge-updating ability. Survey data from 438 firms in four transition economies indicate that as turbulence increases employees have higher utility regarding what to change, while top management demonstrates higher utility regarding how to implement changes. Our work provides theoretical insight on the contingent effect of environmental turbulence on knowledge-source utility.
JEL Classification: L1, M1, P2
The aim of this chapter is to discuss and reflect on changes in approach to leadership to encourage collaboration that are aligned with the principles of Complexity science for a holistic ecosystem of health and healthcare. It first discusses three theories of leadership: Ecological Leadership, Systems Leadership, and Distributed Leadership. It then analyzes the implications of these three theories for the three agencies of health and healthcare: Principles and Purposes (P1); People in Place (P2); and Practices and Processes (P3). The outcome is the assemblage of an ecology of lead(er) ship, termed the Dynamic Lead(er)ship Ecology of Adaptive Partnerships (LEAP) that is designed to encourage collaboration, adaptation and relationships. Finally, it reflects upon the link between the modes of cognition, methods of action to build relationships, and approach to lead(er)ship, resulting in the assemblage of an ecology of cognition, action and lead(er)ship, termed the Action Cognition Ecology (ACE) of Lead(er)ship for health and healthcare.
Background
Adolescents and young adults (AYA) aged 15–24 years account for nearly half of all new HIV infections globally, with over 80% residing in sub-Saharan Africa, where AIDS is a leading cause of death. In Chad, HIV/AIDS significantly impacts AYA, despite a reduction in national prevalence from 1.6% in 2010 to 1.0% in 2022. AYA still contribute to 26.3% of new infections, with young women facing four times the risk compared with young men. Barriers throughout the care continuum, including transitions from paediatric to adult services, contribute to an overall antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage of 47% in 2023, with only 27% of males compared with 58% of females receiving treatment. These challenges impact access to sexual and reproductive health services and effective help-seeking.
Methods
This study used participatory action research with a sensemaking theoretical lens. From December 2021 to March 2024, data were collected from 52 AYA (aged 15–24, both HIV-positive and HIV-negative) in focus group discussions. Data were analysed using a modified grounded theory approach, with coding and category development guided by the constant comparison method.
Results
Findings indicate that empowering AYA in health decision-making requires an adaptable approach considering individual experiences, interpersonal influences and systemic factors. Such an approach can enhance engagement with healthcare services, increase service utilisation and treatment adherence and inform policy redesign for more effective service delivery.
Conclusion
This study advances the understanding of sensemaking in healthcare, illustrating how AYA in Chad navigate and interpret the healthcare system. It highlights the need for AYA-friendly services that foster clear communication, trust and responsive care. Strengthening health systems through adolescent-responsive policies, workforce training and decentralised service delivery can enhance AYA engagement, service utilisation and retention in care. Aligning services with AYA perspectives through community-driven approaches and system reforms can improve healthcare accessibility and outcomes in similar contexts.
In this chapter, we study the state-of-the-art developments in the use of Blockchain in project management. We establish a link between the design principles of Blockchain systems and project management practice. We investigate the benefits of using Blockchain systems in project life cycle management and list the advantages of implementation in agile project management. The findings of the literature review and the discussions presented in this paper can support researchers identify the research gaps in the adoption and implementation of Blockchain systems to enhance project management decision-making.
Informal soft system methodologies hold a significant role in developing complex systems. They bridge system knowledge and sensemaking among heterogeneous stakeholders. This article investigates the application of conceptual models to support such communication and understanding among transdisciplinary stakeholders, ensuring the translation of customer requirements and needs into suitable engineered systems. This article presents a case study incorporating observations, interviews, and a review of conceptual models utilized by an aerospace and defense case company for the development of future Manned–Unmanned Systems. It explores how practitioners employ conceptual modeling to support the Human Systems Integration (HSI) aspects of technological, organizational, and human elements of Manned–Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T) systems. The results indicate that practitioners utilize a mix of informal and formal types of conceptual models when developing Human Systems Integration aspects of the system. Formal models, such as sequence diagrams, requirement overviews, and functional flow models, are applied when addressing technology-focused aspects. Organization-centered modeling leverages representations like stakeholder maps and swimlane diagrams, while people-centered aspects rely more on informal techniques such as storytelling and user personas. The findings suggest a potential underestimation by practitioners of the value of quantification in conceptual modeling for Manned–Unmanned Systems development. This study highlights the important role that conceptual modeling methods play, particularly focusing on the informal aspects. These methods are instrumental in enhancing effective communication and understanding among transdisciplinary stakeholders. Furthermore, they facilitate mutual understanding, which is essential for fostering collaboration and shared vision in the development of complex systems. This facilitates deeper insights and reasoning into HSI for MUM-T applications.
This paper explores the application of the Cynefin framework to guide the transition of a cloud software development department from a complex to a complicated scenario. The transition aims to increase operational efficiency, predictability, and scalability. Using Cynefin, areas of uncertainty were identified and subsequently systematized and replicated through specific methodologies. The introduction of rapid feedback questions, such as ”Hot or Cold?”, proved effective for dynamic adjustments, ensuring continuous alignment with strategic goals.
This chapter explores the importance of leadership in building an environment that encourages technological innovations and developments, the role of organizational leaders in inspiring employees to accept and use new technologies and the future for business organizations concerning technological advancements. Through a comprehensive literature review analysis, the need for technology embracing leaders who can adopt and help adapting to intelligent communication technologies for facilitated communication, manage the new change and implement strategic solutions have been emphasized. The chapter also includes two case analysis of Cleveland Clinic and Arizona State University demonstrating successful leadership and technology integration and a machine learning approach based on correlation matrix using SUV to assess the relationship between transformational leadership, knowledge-based work passion and organizational citizenship behaviour. The implications of this study are beneficial as it explores the multi-facets of successful technology- integrated leadership in the digital age.
The Watershed Health Assessment Framework (WHAF) is a structured, evidence-based approach for improving the health of watersheds and water resources. This transparent, repeatable framework brings together current data and analysis to generate health scores for watersheds and water resources organized within a representative set of ecological components. The data and scores are delivered through interactive online applications that allow for place-based explorations of watershed health. This framework helps resource professionals and communities work together to build a common understanding of complex natural resource systems to consider actions that might offer holistic benefits to watershed health.
Australia’s journey towards a circular economy is in its initial stage. Demand for resources is putting pressure on Australia’s urban environments, which house over 75% of the country’s population and account for over 80% of national GDP. Until 2018, recyclable waste was largely exported to other countries for processing. This has now changed and has led to national and state-based discussions on more effective reprocessing of waste resources.
This chapter aims to present findings based on research conducted to understand the current circular economy ecosystem in the state of Victoria (Australia) to support its plans for waste reduction and transition to a circular economy. A mixed-methods approach was taken, comprising desktop research, interviews with key actors, and a survey targeting a wide range of businesses. It was found that there was no consistent or systemic understanding of the concept of the circular economy; rather, the narrative revolved around waste management and recycling. For transitioning to a circular economy, a systematic shift is needed, supported by a clear policy directive, financial outlay, technical know-how, education, awareness, engagement, and collaboration across traditional isolated sectors.
What infrastructure do Australian cities need over the next century? Planning for, delivering, and maintaining infrastructure that is usually long-lived and expensive in a rapidly changing environment is difficult. Complexity and uncertainties are at play, with potentially serious consequences to be considered. Specifically, current infrastructure-investment risks are not fit for purpose and would fail to meet the rapidly evolving needs of communities and economic activities. This may create lock-in situations that are difficult to adapt to or reverse; they therefore close down opportunities for the transformation needed to reduce systemic risks. In this chapter, we argue that the key to cities’ resilience lies in the people and organisations having capacity, competencies, and governance for systemic interventions based on adaptive learning and decision-making. We outline a method for changing the planning of infrastructure to meet urgent urban challenges, such as climate change, rapid technological change, and pandemics. This is based on a mission-oriented programme of innovation that guides, underpins, and supports inclusive and robust infrastructure decisions. Finally, we introduce principles that can trigger a set of tipping points that can promote necessary shifts in infrastructure planning, policies, and practices that encourage more resilient, sustainable and equitable outcomes.
Through a critical literature review, the study analyses the influence of leaders’ sensory and emotional experiences on shaping their capacity to navigate contradictions and tensions inherent in complex organisational environments. By engaging with concepts of embodied perception, multisensory engagement, and aesthetic judgment, the article highlights how these factors contribute to leaders’ decision-making processes and their ability to foster creative resolutions in paradoxical situations, offering a phenomenological perspective that emphasises the importance of leaders’ subjective experiences in managing organisational complexity. The article answers the following research questions: 1) How do subjective aesthetic experiences (including sensory perceptions and emotional responses) influence leaders’ decision-making processes and ability to manage organisational paradoxes and complexity? 2) How do embodied perception, multisensory engagement, and aesthetic judgments enhance the efficiency of dialectical leadership in resolving tensions and fostering creativity within organisations? The article concludes by underlining its limitations and proposing future research directions.
Military headquarters have been seen as grown up to the point that this reduces the agility of decision-making and decreases the survivability of the headquarters and command posts in war. At the same time, war is becoming ever more complex and intertwined through the fast pace of information flows and technological advancements. This design science research aims to solve these problems of headquarters. The research was done by framing the problem with several theories and then designing a solution. Systems thinking and complexity leadership theories were used to understand the problem. After this qualitative coding was used to form complexity leadership themes specific to military headquarters. These themes were combined with organisational theories and the military theories of tempo-based operations. A solution was then designed through theory-based analysis and abductive reasoning and tested in exercises. This article suggests that military headquarters should not seek for one optimal organisational structure, but instead the structures should be intentionally and dynamically tailored according to the situation and context at hand. A headquarters seen through the mental model of a Dynamic Headquarters Structure (DHS) can adjust its own networking, information-flows and delegation of decision-making to thrive in different environments.
In the first decades of the new millennium, the world has changed, and it is still changing faster and faster in an unpredictable way. We are in the age of complexity: interdependences, surprises, and uncertainties no longer permit the management of safety with reference to stable conditions. This requires improving the resilience capabilities of the communities, particularly for coping with disasters. United Nations policies underline that the capacity of facing disasters is becoming a fundamental prerequisite for sustainable development. This paper presents some reflections on why, in an increasingly complex world exposed to a multiplicity of hazards, it is important to address the problem of disaster risk reduction and resilience in terms of the new paradigm of “intersectoral safety”. Intersectoral safety for disaster risk reduction and resilience is the research topic of the UNESCO Chair of the Università degli Studi di Udine (Italy). The contents of this paper resume what was discussed in a seminar of the Italian network of the UNESCO Chairs, illustrate the theoretical concepts at the basis of the new paradigm of intersectoral safety, and present some applications.
This article represents a constructive disruption of the extant habits of mind associated with community engagement in South Africa. The constructive disruption is developed by applying a critical realist method placing emphasis on engaged transdisciplinary knowledge co-production processes. The argument that is developed suggests two plausible disruptions. The first disruption argues that it is possible to consider a second order form of methodological decision making using a concept labelled ‘critical epistemological selectivity’ as a mechanism to increase the armamentarium of engaged, transdisciplinary scholarship. The second disruption focuses on the real-world utility of the current ‘spirit’ of engagement – ‘social justice’ – in the face of increasingly complex global challenges. The article concludes by suggesting that second and third order perspectives could contribute to a more reflexive form of engaged scholarship that may be of benefit to both academe and its neighbouring communities.
This article represents a constructive disruption of the extant habits of mind associated with community engagement in South Africa. The constructive disruption is developed by applying a critical realist method placing emphasis on engaged transdisciplinary knowledge co-production processes. The argument that is developed suggests two plausible disruptions. The first disruption argues that it is possible to consider a second order form of methodological decision making using a concept labelled ‘critical epistemological selectivity’ as a mechanism to increase the armamentarium of engaged, transdisciplinary scholarship. The second disruption focuses on the real-world utility of the current ‘spirit’ of engagement – ‘social justice’ – in the face of increasingly complex global challenges. The article concludes by suggesting that second and third order perspectives could contribute to a more reflexive form of engaged scholarship that may be of benefit to both academe and its neighbouring communities.
Fire safety has long been delivered under the assumption that the use of deemed-to-satisfy (DtS) solutions results in specifications for buildings which are appropriately safe in the event of fire. This has the consequence that regulatory compliance can be achieved through the application of DtS solutions without further deliberation, or (in a performance-based regime) through the comparison of the performance of a performance-based design with that of a DtS design. However, recent research, recent incidents, emerging technologies, methods and materials of construction should have the fire engineering community questioning the suitability of DtS solutions. This article highlights potential limitations of DtS solutions from the perspective of developing a fire safety strategy. Specific emphasis is placed on the changing context of fire safety given the rising complexities in modern buildings. The changing context is conceptualised using a sense-making device called the Cynefin framework. A view through the Cynefin lens highlights the need for a deliberative and critical approach to the adoption of DtS solutions considering: (i) the challenges of identifying the non-linear cause-and-effect relationships, especially taking into account changing contexts; (ii) the impact of knee-jerk rulemaking i.e., the introduction of rules in the absence of supporting theoretical knowledge.
Design science is making a comeback in the discipline of public administration: inspired by the growing popularity of design thinking, various scholars have highlighted the value of design science for the public sector. This theoretical and methodological article aims to contribute to the academic value of design science and focuses on the “double burden” of design science: how can it be applied in such a way that it generates both (relevant) situational interventions and contributes to (robust) generic academic knowledge? We identify which types of generic academic knowledge can be generated through design science in public administration: theoretical knowledge, design exemplars, methodological knowledge, and normative knowledge. We use these four types of generic knowledge to develop a new perspective on design science. We also present guidelines for design research that aim to generate both situational interventions and generic knowledge. These guidelines emphasize the need to be more rigorous and systematic in the process of design research as to ensure the validity and reliability of the contributions to generic knowledge for the discipline of public administration.
The main reason for writing this book is my belief that in the face of unprecedented global challenges, leaders who exhibit the characteristics of humility, hope, and humor are better equipped to navigate complexity, foster resilience, and inspire trust. The modern landscape of leadership is characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity—often referred to as VUCA conditions.
Future military command will be challenged by a quadruplicity of urbanization, digitization and artificial intelligence, and mission command. It seems therefore important to ask, how to improve decision-making within this framework. Mission: COMANND (Comprehensive Operational Memory And Neural Network Deliberation) conceptualizes an AI decision support capable of rapidly integrating and visualizing the urban operational environment, providing in-depth knowledge and analysis combining key information on infrastructure, tacit knowledge, and socio-cultural aspects.
This chapter describes the frameworks, models, and methods used to create a prioritized IoT roadmap for smart factories and supply chain organizations. The roadmap includes initiatives to prepare people, processes, technology, and infrastructures for IoT, while taking into consideration the risks of the IoT journey.
There appears to be a growing decoupling between the conditions that infrastructures were designed for and today’s rapidly changing environments. Infrastructures today are largely predicated on the technologies, goals, and governance structures from a century ago. While infrastructures continue to deliver untold value, there is growing evidence that these critical, basic, and lifeline systems appear ill-equipped to confront the volatility, uncertainty, accelerating conditions, and complexity that define them and their changing environments. Innovative and disruptive first principles are needed to guide infrastructures in the Anthropocene. Drawing from emerging infrastructure research and disciplines that appear better able to confront disruption and change, a novel set of first principles are identified: (1) Plan for complex conditions and surprise; (2) Recouple with agility and flexibility; (3) Govern for exploration and instability; (4) Build consensus as control decentralizes; (5) Restructure to engage with porous boundaries; and, (6) Cyberthreat planning is now mission critical. These principles should guide infrastructure planning recognizing the changing nature and increasingly obsolete boundaries that have defined engineered systems in the modern era.
This case study investigates the dependable approach to scenario planning by integrating applicable theoretical models, particularly considering the significant changes in the Russian energy industry. The findings of this case support the strategic management best practices of the energy production firms by providing empirical insights into scenario planning, its implementation and its connection to various macro-environmental variables. It also highlights the importance of using a logical approach to scenario planning and how it can be utilized as a strategic input to maximize economies of scale. This paper provides first-hand information in terms of (a) impactful changes affecting the energy industry, (b) emerging trends in the energy market, (c) the importance of capturing the stakeholder inputs and (d) the significance of integrating these factors into strategic planning. Finally, the paper sheds light on the importance of using the right combination of tools for designing scenario-based strategies.
To address the challenges associated with the increasing number of supply chain disruptions, such as COVID-19, geopolitical tensions, and cyberattacks, the tasks of developing and improving the supply chain resilience (SCR) model have received attention from scholars and decision-makers in operations and supply chain management. Although many previous studies have provided valuable analyses of and theoretical insights into this topic, a comprehensive understanding of SCR and the practical implementation of SCR strategies remain lacking. This study develops a systematic and dynamic model of the SCR cycle through an analysis of existing definitions and concept mapping using the Cynefin framework. The proposed model identifies four stages of the SCR cycle and recommends corresponding SCR strategies for each stage. This study establishes a theoretical foundation for the attempts of future researchers to analyze SCR at the stage level and provides supply chain decision-makers with both a comprehensive understanding of SCR and an action plan that can help them choose various SCR strategies in different contexts.
Intelligence analysis is a function of government, which provides insight into current and emerging issues so that decision-makers can make informed resolutions. In the national security context, the way Intelligence practices its craft has been fairly consistent since the post-Cold War era. However, analysis—the act of breaking down an issue into parts and studying those parts in separation—may no longer be fit for the range of complex, interconnected, and unfamiliar problems that we are currently observing in our national security landscape. This article is an initial exploration into how other disciplinary practices deal with understanding emerging and unfamiliar contexts. To carry out this exploration, we discuss the role of design as a practice adept at sensemaking into the unknown and observe its practices when applied to an emerging national security context: artificial intelligence (AI) in cybersecurity. We provide grounding in a literature review on current Intelligence practices and introduce a design-based methodology for exploring the issue of AI in cybersecurity through a sensemaking approach. In the results section, we highlight the insights around the use of a persona and scenarios as gleaned from interviews conducted with the core design team (CDT). Finally, we discuss how these human-centered approaches translate into new possibilities for National Security Intelligence work. They include novel ways of exploring unfamiliar issues (such as AI in cybersecurity), ways of identifying harms associated with the issue, and, finally, new ways of partnering with civic communities in ways that are novel to how Intelligence currently engages with the public. This study’s main contributions are the potential new practices needed for exploring emerging national security issues based on a fundamentally different way of viewing problems—that being a sensemaking approach.
We build on the national culture, complex adaptive systems, and operations complexity literature to develop hypotheses about the moderating role of national culture on the negative relationship between dynamic operations culture and operational complexity. Monthly performance data were collected from 179 plants in a multinational corporation’s global plant network that spans all national culture clusters. We use random effects time series modeling to incorporate the transitory nature of this relationship and control unobserved heterogeneity over time. The results indicate that the relationship between dynamic operations complexity and operational performance is moderated by every dimension of national culture except gender egalitarianism and institutional collectivism. We contribute to the literature on complexity by introducing the dynamic operations complexity construct and showing the moderating effect of national culture. We contribute to the national culture literature by comprehensively examining the role of national culture supporting the national culture divergence thesis. Managerial implications relate to locating new plants in regions whose national culture is supportive of key goals and allocating tasks and products accordingly.
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