Ep. 20 Planning to Adapt: Johan Ivari on Strategy, Narrative, and the Set-Based Approach
Planning isn’t about precision—it’s about possibility.
In this episode, Mike Jones is joined by Johan Ivari—Swedish Armed Forces officer, lecturer at the Swedish Defence University, and author of A Set-Based Approach: Searching for the Problem–Solution Eclipse. Together, they explore how strategy and execution can remain viable in a world shaped by unpredictability and complexity.
Johan challenges the illusion of control, unpacks why detailed plans often collapse on contact with reality, and explains how the set-based approach protects adaptability by expanding options, not narrowing them. From mission command and viable systems to cognitive agency and feedback loops, this episode is a rich exploration of thinking, learning, and leading in real time.
🔍 In this episode:
Why narrative—not metrics—should lead execution
The danger of detailed plans and false certainty
How viable systems enable distributed action and coherence
Why leaders must protect their organisation’s capacity to act
The value of affordances and ‘coarse’ planning
Why set-based planning improves decision quality and learning
🎧 Keywords: Set-Based Planning, Viable Systems, Mission Command, Complexity, Strategy Execution, Feedback Loops, Agency, Command and Control, Adaptive Leadership
📘 Read Johan’s paper: A Set-based Approach
📬 Connect with Johan: LinkedIn
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🔗 Full episodes, show notes, and resources: https://www.lbiconsulting.com/strategymeetsreality-podcast
📺 Watch on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@StrategyMeetsReality
🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Buzzsprout
💬 Connect with host Mike Jones → https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-h-jones/
