Core Concepts: The Operating System, Complexity, and People Power

Aaron Dignan's work is a modern critique of traditional, bureaucratic management. He argues that the way we work is governed by a hidden "Operating System" (OS)—a collection of assumptions, principles, and practices that dictates behavior. He believes the old, legacy OS is failing in a world of increasing complexity and that modern organizations must become more Complex & People Positive.

  • Organizational Operating System: This is the underlying set of beliefs and defaults that shape how an organization functions. It covers everything from how meetings are run to how decisions are made and how people are promoted. The key idea is that you cannot change the culture without changing this underlying system.
  • Complexity vs. Complicated: Dignan emphasizes the difference. Complicated systems have many parts but operate in predictable ways (like a jet engine). Complex systems are unpredictable and emergent (like a traffic jam or a market). Legacy organizations are designed for a complicated world, but today's world is complex, requiring adaptability over rigid control.
  • People Positive: This is the belief that people are inherently trustworthy, motivated, and capable of doing great work. It's the opposite of a "parent-child" dynamic where employees are seen as resources to be managed and controlled. A People Positive approach favors autonomy, trust, and transparency.

Key Learnings and Quotes

On the Broken Way of Work

  1. "Bureaucracy is the single most expensive thing in your organization. Period."
  2. "We are running 21st-century organizations on a 20th-century operating system."
  3. "The way we work is holding us back. It is a source of frustration, anxiety, and disengagement."
  4. "Organizational Debt is the interest you pay on deferred decisions, unresolved tensions, and outdated practices."
  5. "We have inherited a set of beliefs about work that are no longer true, if they ever were."
  6. "The problem is not that our organizations are broken. It's that they are working exactly as they were designed to."
  7. "We are addicted to control, and it is killing our ability to adapt."
  8. "Change doesn't fail because of a lack of urgency, a lack of a coalition, or a lack of vision. It fails because we're trying to install new software on an old operating system."
  9. "We're treating human beings as if they are machines, and it's dehumanizing and ineffective."
  10. "The 'Future of Work' is a misnomer. It’s about the 'Now of Work.' The future is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed."

On the Organizational Operating System (OS)

  1. "You can't see the operating system, but it's everywhere. It's the silent force that shapes every decision, every meeting, every interaction."
  2. "Your OS is the answer to the question, 'How do we do things around here?'"
  3. "Trying to change your culture without changing your OS is like trying to change the words on a page without changing the language they're written in."
  4. "The OS Canvas is a tool for making the invisible visible. It allows you to map out your current operating system and design a new one."
  5. "Every practice in your organization is a manifestation of a principle, which is a manifestation of a deeper assumption."
  6. "Stop launching change initiatives. Start changing the system."
  7. "The goal is not to have the 'right' OS. It's to have an OS that is coherent, explicit, and continuously evolving."
  8. "Culture is the shadow of the OS. If you want to change the shadow, you have to move the object."
  9. "Don't copy the practices of other companies. Understand the principles behind them."
  10. "Your operating system is your theory of how work works."

On Complexity and Adaptability

  1. "In a complex world, prediction is impossible. But we can be prepared."
  2. "We must trade the illusion of control for the reality of influence."
  3. "The role of a leader is not to be a chess master, moving the pieces. It's to be a gardener, tending the soil."
  4. "In a complex system, the most adaptive move is to increase the autonomy of the parts."
  5. "Stop trying to be perfect. Start trying to be fast and right enough."
  6. "The cost of delay is almost always higher than the cost of a mistake."
  7. "We need to move from 'fail-safe' (preventing all failure) to 'safe-to-fail' (making it safe to learn from small failures)."
  8. "Instead of big, top-down change, think in terms of small, continuous experiments."
  9. "The question is not 'Is this the right decision?' but 'Is this a safe-to-try decision?'"
  10. "Adaptability is the new efficiency."

On Being People Positive and Empowering Teams

  1. "Trust is the currency of the new way of work."
  2. "Assume everyone is trying to do their best. Because they are."
  3. "The opposite of control is not chaos. It's trust."
  4. "Give people the information and the authority to make their own decisions."
  5. "Clarity is the antidote to anxiety." Be radically transparent.
  6. "The role of a manager is to be a coach, a connector, and a catalyst, not a commander."
  7. "Talent is everywhere. Opportunity is not. Our job is to create opportunity."
  8. "Instead of asking 'How do we motivate people?', ask 'What's getting in their way?'"
  9. "Consent-based decision-making is faster and more effective than consensus. You don't need everyone to agree, just for them to be able to live with it."
  10. "Hire adults and treat them that way."

On Meetings, Process, and Practice

  1. "A meeting is a microcosm of your culture. If you want to change your culture, change your meetings."
  2. "Every meeting should have a clear purpose, a defined process, and an explicit outcome."
  3. "Who is not in the room is as important as who is in the room." Keep meetings small.
  4. "Don't use a meeting to share information. Use a document."
  5. "The purpose of a process is to enable, not to constrain."
  6. "Good process is the lightest possible structure that helps us get to the desired outcome."
  7. "Stop starting, start finishing." Focus on limiting work in progress.
  8. "Tension is a gift. It's a signal that something needs to change." Create clear channels for processing tensions.
  9. "Make decisions at the last responsible moment." This preserves optionality.
  10. "The revolution is not in the tools we use, but in the way we come together."

The vast majority of Aaron Dignan's philosophy is captured in his book and the work of his consultancy, The Ready.

  • Book: Brave New Work: Are You Ready to Reinvent Your Organization? - This is the primary source for the OS Canvas, the principles of being People Positive and Complex-ready, and a deep dive into all the concepts above.
  • Consultancy Website: The Ready - The website is a rich source of articles, case studies, and tools, including a free download of the OS Canvas.
  • Podcast: Brave New Work Podcast - Aaron and his colleague Rodney Evans discuss the ideas from the book, interview other thinkers, and answer audience questions. It's a great way to hear the concepts applied to real-world situations.
  • Medium Articles: Dignan and others at The Ready frequently publish articles on Medium that expand on these ideas.
  • Talks and Interviews: Numerous talks and podcast interviews with Aaron Dignan are available on YouTube and other platforms. A search for "Aaron Dignan talk" will yield many excellent results.