Evolvability in Business: Enterprise Transformation in an Age of Complexity

Through the unique combination of evolutionary biology and management theory applied to business cases, and keeping in mind that organisations are fundamentally human systems, Goh and Mundra propose organisational evolvability as a new frame to guide enterprise transformation and change.

Some of the topics covered in the book include: Understanding the differences between Complicated and Complex; Moving from Planned Change to Emergent Change; Applying principles of evolution to enterprise evolvability, and how to operationalise it using a Sense-Adapt-respond loop; Identifying and addressing Sensemaking gaps; including different approaches to scaling and repaying organisational debt; Measuring outcomes under conditions of complexity. This book proposes that transformation is not a one-and- done event but a continuous process of adapting to a dynamic and unpredictable environment. The goal of transformation should be to enhance organisational evolvability – the capacity of a system for adaptive evolution. This book encourages leaders and practitioners to view organisations as open and complex adaptive systems and provides frameworks that help them to manage transformations with adaptive grace.

A perfect volume for managers, executives and leaders at companies of all sizes. It will also be of interest to instructors in executive education, as well as scholars in organisational studies and business management. This book is for anyone seeking to create a culture of adaptability and change.

Zhen Goh is Founder of The Emerginarium. She has close to 20 years of experience in applying sensemaking and complexity, and co-authored Cynefin: Weaving Sense-making into the Fabric of our World. She believes that “knowledge is a martial art”, and is passionate about supporting just and meaningful transitions.

Sunil Mundra is a seasoned professional with an exceptional track record in driving Transformation and Organizational Change. He is the author of the best-selling book Enterprise Agility – Being Agile in a Changing World. His current area of interest is working with senior leaders to enable them to enhance agility in their enterprises to deal more effectively with a highly disruptive and complex environment.