Episode 8 - Not systems thinking

This episode is a conversation with Eric Wenzel about his experience of the theory of complex responsive processes of relating.

Selected quotes

"And it took me the three years of the [Doctor of Mangement] programme to try and understand what it was that I was contributing" - 3:52

"Complex responsive process... [theory is] ...important because it offers a compelling alternative to accepted ways of thinking about organisations as systems" - 8:52

"In complex responsive processes thinking there is this insight that humans are not like birds and not like fish ... because they have capacity to react creatively, and to react spontaneously" - 19:58

"it's very difficult to sustain the notion of ... systems when you think about human interaction" - 21:48

"I have to engage with people ... and not appear like a high-spirited cowboy who talks about things that nobody knows about and that sound very crazy" - 22:43

"I felt a kind of loneliness" - 31:34

References

- Book - The Emergence of Leadership - Douglas Griffin

- Post - Complex responsive processes – 4 pillars of thought, 5 key insights - Chris Mowles

- Book - Strategic Management and Organisational Dynamics - Ralph Stacey and Chris Mowles

- Doctor of Management Programme - University of Hertfordshire

- Complexity and Management Conference - 5-7th June 2020

Eric Wenzel - Bio

Eric is a management consultant working in a big international consultancy.

He's in involved in assessing, training and coaching senior executives and specialises in supporting change in complex environments. He's been at this for 20 years or so.

He is a Doctor of Management from the University of Hertfordshire. His first degree is in Psychology.

At the moment he's writing a book about paradox in management.