Philippe Silberzahn, Author at Philippe Silberzahn

1 December 20231 December 2023innovation

How conflict can be a source of creativity: the pioneering work of Mary Parker Follett

There are some very important thinkers who have been forgotten, and we would do well to rediscover them. Such is the case with Mary Parker Follett. She was a pioneer of management in the broadest sense in the 1920s. Many of her innovative ideas were taken up and developed by people who went on to become very famous, such as Peter Drucker, who acknowledged that he owed a great deal to her. In particular, she wrote some very important things about the relationship between conflict and creativity that should be of interest not only to entrepreneurs and innovators, but also to business leaders and, let’s face it, politicians.

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24 November 202312 November 2023Economy and society, entrepreneurship, Management, uncertainty

Decision making in uncertainty: beyond calculation, the role of imagination and judgment

The traditional decision-making model, rooted in the ideal of the rational actor calculating the best decision with perfect information, is increasingly inadequate in our complex, uncertain world. When information is scarce or inadequate, judgment and imagination must be used instead.

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17 November 202311 September 2023entrepreneurship

Having a good idea is not the essence of entrepreneurial success

The entrepreneurial landscape is often focused on the pursuit of exceptional ideas. This translates into a process in which the creation of a business requires a great idea, which is then implemented in a so-called execution phase. This is followed by corporate idea contests, “ideation” seminars, and other pointless but fun activities. But if you look at successful companies throughout history, you’ll find that their initial idea wasn’t all that important, and often not all that original. So how does one go about initiating an innovative venture that will thrive?

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10 November 202310 November 2023entrepreneurship, innovation, Management

It’s not R&D, it’s Entrepreneurship: How to Make Sure Your Innovation Unit Won’t Fail

To respond to the disruptions in their business environment, organizations often establish dedicated innovation units. These units, though named differently, often face a common hurdle: their promising ideas fail to translate into impactful market outcomes. This predicament stems from the approach itself and the underlying model.

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3 November 20234 November 2023decision making, Management, uncertainty

Leadership in an uncertain world: redefining psychological safety for employees

Uncertainty is naturally anxiety-provoking. In the workplace, it is added to other sources of employee insecurity, such as lack of trust or appreciation, management style, or lack of meaning. How can a leader provide psychological safety in an uncertain world?

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27 October 202326 October 2023entrepreneurship, innovation, Society

Why our Society is Entrepreneurial, and not Capitalist, and Why it Matters

We commonly refer to our society as “capitalist”. But that term misdescribes its nature. It’s not capitalist, it’s entrepreneurial, and that’s an important distinction.

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20 October 202319 October 2023Economy and society, innovation, Society

The three ways disruptive innovation drives democratic change

We generally think of innovation, especially technological innovation, as socially and politically neutral, but this is not the case. Disruptive innovation in particular is subversive in the sense that it overturns the established order and accepted values. It drives democratic change, which explains why it is important and why it is fiercely resisted.

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13 October 202313 October 2023Management, transformation

What Does your Team (Really) Do? Lessons From Microsoft’s Windows’ Turnaround

New leaders of organizations almost always face at least one significant hurdle – understanding the intricate web of roles, projects, and methods that interact to produce its results. This combination of skills, culture, assets and processes form the bedrock on which their decisions are built and outputs achieved. This analytic challenge is especially critical in troubled organizations, where the gap between promises and actuality can be glaring. A good historical example of this is Microsoft’s Windows group turnaround.

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6 October 202327 September 2023Management, Strategic surprise, uncertainty

Why you should not rely on weak signals to predict the future

Can seemingly weak signals have the potential to reveal significant future events? The answer lies in the delicate balance between detection and interpretation, where our assumptions shape our understanding.

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28 September 202328 September 2023Uncategorized

Welcome to uncertainty! Surviving and thriving in a world of surprises

The 2008 financial crisis, Brexit, the election of Donald Trump, the Covid-19 epidemic, the invasion of Ukraine, the return of inflation, and what next? The list of surprises keeps growing. Against this backdrop, a new perspective on forecasting is imperative. How can we thrive in a world we can’t predict? This is the question I address in my new book “Welcome to uncertainty” out today.

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