Friday, January 27, 2012

Spear (Part 2) at MIT Webinar

Creative Experimentation: Developing a Skill Critical for Managing Complex Operating Systems (Part 2)
MIT SDM Systems Thinking Webinar Series
Steven J. Spear
Senior Lecturer, MIT Sloan School of Management; Senior Lecturer, MIT Engineering Systems Division; Senior Fellow, Institute for Healthcare Improvement; and author, The High Velocity Edge
Date: January 30, 2012
Time: Noon - 1 p.m. EST
Open to all
A broad-based capacity for experimentation is critical for organizations to succeed because the systems in which people are embedded are increasingly complex and fast. For instance, medical treatment used to be accomplished by "going to the doctor," a sole practitioner supported by a handful of other professionals, who mastered a body of scientific knowledge through steady practice. Now, thanks to the tremendous advances in medical science and technology, diagnosis and treatment span myriad disciplines and countless professionals. Doctors have to be masters in their own fields and masters in coordinating care delivery tailored to individual patients' needs. Experience can no longer be steadily accumulated over time. Rather, teams must experiment off-line so they are prepared for the variety of situations they'll face in real time. The same challenge of having to build knowledge in particular disciplines and learn quickly how to pull the pieces together into coherent efforts is characteristic of manufacturing design and production, services, information technology, and more.
 
Steven J. Spear's webinar will illustrate this migration from simple and stable to complex and fast, with examples of how organizations have learned to succeed by cultivating a capacity for high-speed, broad-based experimentation. A question and answer session will allow listeners to speculate about what would be involved in developing such a capability in their own organizations.

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