QUESTIONS IN THE LANGUAGE OF COMPLEXITY

The nature of a language is that it conserves the community that uses it. What is considered acceptable in that language -- what can be said and what will be heard -- is a function of what will maintain the community. Language or questions that challenge the foundations of the community are not acceptable. The conservative nature of language is "enforced" by the rejection of those who ask questions that are ¶not allowed¾ or speak in ways that don't match the culture. How we determine whether or not we are a part of a community is by whether or not we speak and understand its language. The conservative nature of language makes it difficult to question the basic assumptions held by management, organizations, and even entire industries.

The language of complexity offers new levels of understanding and new distinctions with which executives and managers can meet and work with their challenges. The language itself challenges the sufficiency of our long-held ways of speaking and thinking. It provides questions that challenge established thinking and provides a means for exploring those questions that is appropriate to the new distinctions of that language rather than confined to the prevailing social agreements of our organizations.

One question that begins to open doors is, What is crying out for change in our industry or organization? It's a tough question to answer in a meaningful way. This type of question demands rigorous inquiry. Being a frequent traveler, it is obvious to me what it crying out for change in the airline industry. Customer surveys, letters of complaint, and widely publicised jokes about lost baggage and terrible food are making no difference to the provision of airline services. I have yet to meet a frequent business traveler who has chosen accolades as a way of speaking about their door-to-door travel.

As an exercise in revealing the interpretations that has the airlines organise in the way that they do, ask yourself, "How do you suppose the airlines see and interpret their customers, employees, various services, or their competition?" Also include in the exercise check-in lines, booking, baggage handling, airport layouts, customs and immigration, physical comfort and the myriad of other components that comprise the experience of a business trip. Next, invent interpretations that would encourage different approaches.

If you have undertaken this exercise seriously you will probably have come up with some very accurate conclusions about the airlines' interpretations and gone on to generate some very workable alternatives. So why can't the airline industry see what needs to be changed and re-invent itself? What keeps everyone in the industry locked in?

Now consider that what is so for the airlines might be so for your own business.