Chaos to Bureaucracy is not the Only Path

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Organizations tend to move from chaos to bureaucracy, and in the process, lose creativity and innovation. The desire for control and certainty leads to a narrowing of space for human judgment and randomness. External expectations compound the problem, leading to a doubling down on structure. The result is a large, static cash machine that lacks innovation, leading to the acquisition of smaller companies. However, the acquired creativity is eventually squashed by the larger organization's operating system.

What if you could change the way your company operates, even if you’re not the CEO? Aaron Dignan believes it’s possible, and in this episode he’s offering a wealth of insights into how organizations are run, the perils of stagnant bureaucracy, and all the various hurdles keeping us from doing our best work.

As the founder of The Ready - a global organizational transformation and coaching practice - Dignan helps companies large and small adopt new forms of self-organization and dynamic teaming. He’s worked with clients such as American Express, Microsoft, Citibank, Hyatt, Johnson & Johnson, Airbnb, and Sweetgreen. He’s also an active angel investor who helps build partnerships between the startups and end-ups he advises. Dignan is also the author of Brave New Work, co-host of the Brave New Work podcast and founder of Murmur.

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