Andrew Haldane, an economist at the Bank of England, recently said that « applying complex decision rules in a complex environment may be a recipe not just for failure but catastrophe. » In all aspects of business, we use rules, tools and models to help us navigate a path through complex operational and financial environments. So-called « wicked problems » regularly emerge in the course of management that do not seem to fit the rules and risk models that are available.
As business executives, we like to feel we are smart in facing challenges. But the stories of smart people failing or even being foolish are all around us – maybe in our own life stories too.
So, could a greater focus on developing wisdom in management help us?
What does leading with wisdom really mean in practice? What could wisdom add to the managerial decision-making process? What are the precise ethical components that are seen in wise leaders?
Who are the wise leaders of today?
These are some of the questions that Professor Thompson asked 192 business executives in his Wisdom Project. He will share some of the topline findings from the Wisdom Project and highlight learnings for developing wisdom in both personal and professional life drawing from insights from Aristotle’s notion of practical wisdom and recent psychological research insights. As a teacher of MBA students he will also engage the participants in group discussion of the case « Sex in the Sky ».
To answer this question Mike Thompson has carried out a worldwide survey among top managers in many countries and gathered unique information about what they understand by wisdom and how they link it to management. As the results of this survey will be published in 2013, this closing conference will be a unique opportunity to hear them directly from Mike. For participants to the full cycle of seminars it will be interesting to confront what they will have learned during the cycle with the results of the survey.
Mike Thompson is Professor of Management Practice at the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) and is director of the Centre for Leadership and Responsibility at CEIBS. His research and publications cover sustainable strategy, wise leadership and corporate governance. Among others, he has published “Business, Spirituality and the Common Good”) and has just carried out a worldwide survey on wise leadership that will be published in 2013. He is also the co-editor of “Wise Management in Organizational Complexity” (Palgrave Macmillan, forthcoming, and to which Mark Strom has contributed). Mike was formerly CEO of GoodBrand, an international sustainable enterprise consultancy providing services to major multinational clients. He has also served on the boards of a number of profit and not-for-profit companies and is currently a director of The Hub in London, a serviced office and members’ network for social entrepreneurs.
Interview of Mike Thompson in BusinessBecause
Can we learn to be wise?
Video – Interview with Mike Thompson
To order your copy at this special price, visit www.palgrave.com and quote discount code WWMOC2013a, or email your order to orders@palgrave.com
Videos:
– Interview of Mike Thompson by Laurent Ledoux, just before the conference
– interviews (extracts) of some of the speakers for PhiloMa’s Leading with Wisdom Seminars
– Videos from Wisdom 2.0 : wisdom for the creative and constantly connected
– Presentation on wise leadership by Laurent Ledoux (before Mike’s presentation)
– Video « The tree – Lead India » used by Laurent as a basis for his presentation
– Presentation by Mike during the conference
Prices & Registration (includes drinks, sandwiches & vegetables): 25 euro if older than 25 years; 10 euro if 25 or younger; 0 euro if registered to the full cycle; Language: English; When: 19:30-22:00; Where: ICHEC – Manoir d’Anjou Campus – Rue Au bois 365A – B-1150 Woluwé-Saint-Pierre (close to SportCity). By Bus: Ligne 36;By Car: Parking easy either on the campus itself or in the Rue Au Bois. Access plan Tel: 02 739 38 60.