complexity

Why Budgets are Dangerous

In the last week or so, the International Monetary Fund released another of its major economic outlook statements. Business and financial media all over the world earnestly pored over the numbers as if the future had been foretold by some all-knowing wizard. The strong sense was that, with this new-found certainty, decisions could finally be [...]

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How to Survive Complexity

Seven years ago, in the first of almost 100 articles for this newsletter, I wrote of the modern complexities surrounding the once simple task of packing an overnight bag for a business trip. I noted that I often spend “more time making sure I have a full set of batteries and power cords than I [...]

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Ignoring the Hidden Costs

I’ve just finished writing a cheque and addressing an envelope to pay for my daughters’ music lessons in the upcoming term. Why go to all this trouble? Because the music school charges a 2% surcharge for electronic payments. So it’s cheaper for me to send them an old fashioned cheque. This all-to-common scenario illustrates one [...]

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The Hidden Truths of Climate Change and Globalization

At the risk of getting political, a comment on the two major debates currently dominating Australian politics: climate change and industrial relations. What’s fascinating about these debates is the consistent avoidance of the simple truths at their centre – particularly given that we all know politicians are only to happy to over-simplify complex situations when [...]

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