Traditions come in many forms and they vary by culture, organization, family, and individual. They can mark the passage of time (Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter) or refer to the way something is done (exchange of…
Browsing CategoryManagement
Unpacking culture
Some cultures can be tough to decipher—not unlike this picture that was taken at a local coffee shop. What’s going on in the image? I was sitting inside the Philz at the Navy Yard on…
Making memories
For one day of the year, my street is coated in gold. The 70-year-old gingko trees that line our small one-way street shed their leaves in one night and cover the cars, sidewalks, and street…
Networked living
Networks come in various shapes, sizes, or types: biological, neural, computer, electrical, radio, social, telecommunications, and television. There is an endless number of things that can be linked: parts of the body, cultures, people, organizations,…
Uniform vs Unique
There is nothing wrong with being uniform. A uniform level of service can be unique. Consistently unique service can also be uniform. When leaders or organizations can’t provide either uniform or unique levels of service,…
The collision of systems
What happens when two systems collide? It could be opposing ideas, personalities, or cultures that intersect at some point. Or a wave hitting the shore or even two soccer teams with different styles of play….