Insights on Strategy, Execution & Complex Organisations
I write about how strategy, execution and organisational design work in real-world environments — the kind that resist simple plans, reward systems thinking, and require leaders to adapt with clarity and purpose. Here you’ll find insights on strategic ambiguity, strategic manoeuvre, organisational viability, decision-making in complexity, and practical leadership thinking.
Browse the latest articles, or explore by topic below.
The Machine That Lies to You
Bach was writing about individuals. The argument is particularly poignant when applied to organisations. Organisations tell themselves lies for the same reasons people do, and they have built industrial machinery to do it reliably, on a schedule, with a budget line and a deliverable.
The machinery is called strategy development. It is the most sophisticated self-deception apparatus in corporate life, and it runs so smoothly that nobody inside it can see what it is actually doing.
The Strategy Gap That Never Closes
Why strategy adjustment is not failure. It is strategy.
Every organisation has a default strategy. It’s enacted now, in each decision, resource allocation, and response to new pressures. The key is whether what you’re doing matches what you intended.
That was the diagnosis. Now: what can you do about it?
Most leaders, when they see the gap, treat it as a problem to fix. They assume the strategy was right and execution drifted. Or they assume the strategy needs “refreshing” because circumstances have changed. Both frames miss the point.
The gap between stated and enacted strategy is not something you close once. It is the permanent condition you are managing.
The Strategy You're Actually Running
Every organisation has one. The question is whether it is the one you intended.
Every organisation has a default strategy. It is being enacted right now, in every decision made, every resource allocated, every response to every pressure arriving from the environment.
The question is not whether you have a strategy. You do. The question is whether the one being enacted is the one you stated. And if it is not, whether you even know.
Mike's presentation delves into the complexities of the modern business landscape, sharing insights and approaches that can help leaders navigate challenges effectively.
In complex and high-stakes environments, stability is an illusion. Reflecting on my experiences as a soldier in Afghanistan, this talk explores the challenges of adapting strategy and execution in the face of chaos, risk aversion, and an agile adversary.
Podcasts and Talks.
Apperences from our founder Mike Jones.
Systems Thinking and Strategy for Leaders : Join us for an insightful interview with Mike Jones, founder and director of LBI Consulting, as we dive into the world of systems thinking and strategy.
In this episode of The Change Agent Podcast, Eric sits down with Mike Jones, Founder and Director of LBI Consulting, to explore what leadership and strategy actually look like when certainty disappears and complexity takes over.
In this reflective solo episode, Mike Jones steps back from the guest chair to explore a deeper truth: strategy is failing long before execution begins.
Mike sees strategy not as a top-down process, where the wishes of management become the gospel of the employees: strategy emerges from the actions of all. In this process, the Viable System Model is a valuable tool to develop a strategy and Mike explains how.