by Rob Malcolm | May 5, 2026 | Subject Area
✍️ Seeing the System (what kind of system are we in?) Most organisations begin with an assumption: 👉 The world is understandable, predictable, and controllable. That assumption is often wrong. 🧠 Start with the nature of the situation From a systems perspective, the...
by Rob Malcolm | May 5, 2026 | Source Note
Sensemaking and learning are inseparable. Understanding is formed through interaction, but it is validated through action. In the SECI cycle: Externalisation & Combination create shared understanding. Internalisation occurs only when that understanding is applied....
by Rob Malcolm | May 5, 2026 | Source Note
Action and learning are inseparable. Every intervention in a system produces outcomes — intended and unintended. These outcomes are the only reliable source of learning. Execution is not completion — observed outcomes at Gemba are. 👉 This requires: Observing outcomes...
by Rob Malcolm | May 4, 2026 | Source Note
The Pattern When shared understanding breaks down, decisions no longer emerge from inquiry. They are shaped by: position power negotiation competing interests 👉 Sensemaking collapses into political behaviour. 🔍 Indicators Inquiry gives way to power Agreement is...
by Rob Malcolm | May 4, 2026 | Source Note
The Pattern In complex environments, there is a strong pressure to create clarity early. This shows up as: Premature classification of problems. Early convergence on a single explanation. Reliance on planning when understanding is incomplete. Forcing agreement when...