Welcome, LinkedIn colleagues!
You’ve probably landed on this page from one of Ed Morrison’s LinkedIn posts – we’ve set up this page as a landing site for additional resources for those interested in Ed’s ideas. He has devoted his career to exploring how networks of loosely joined people can tackle wicked problems: all by designing and guiding their conversations. His work as a reflective practitioner has been heavily influenced by Jeanne Liedtka (design thinking); Kathleen Eisenhardt (simple rules to guide complex strategies); and Amy Edmondson (psychological safety and team learning).
His work as a reflective practitioner follows the guidance of Donald Schön, who pioneered the idea that practitioners, by following a rigorous process of inquiry, can generate actionable knowledge.
We encourage you to look around the website to see what the Lab is all about, including a number of online courses we offer.
Amplify This: Ed’s Blog Posts
Sometimes there’s more to say than LinkedIn allows. Ed amplifies some of his LinkedIn posts in our blog.
Strategic Doing: The Book
If you haven’t already, we recommend reading Strategic Doing: Ten Skills for Agile Leadership, which contains critical lessons Ed’s learned throughout his career helping organizations tackle complex challenges. The book describes a set of skills that anyone – no matter what their official title in an organization – can use to make their conversations, meetings, and teams more effective. It’s available as a physical book, an e-book, and in audio formats.
Here’s what people are saying about the book:
“I’ve been investigating how organizations’ working environments influence a group’s ability to achieve their goals for two decades. In my consulting and research, I’ve seen organizations where employees can excel and contribute at their very highest levels – and others in which fear rules the workplace. This book provides insight into the practices and behaviors that help build high-performing groups. Readable and practical guidance for every organization and team.” Amy C. Edmondson, Harvard Business School
“Most of us like the idea of collaborating with others, but we don’t do it. Some of us try very hard to make collaboration work, but too often, we fail. So, are there rules for collaborating? The answer is yes, and this valuable book sets them out clearly and succinctly. An important contribution.” Robert Reich, University of California at Berkeley, former US Secretary of Labor
“I’ve been waiting for this book all my life. Strategic Doing is precisely what we need at this moment. In a fast-changing world, filled with disruption, with institutions not equipped to absorb or deal with the pace of change, here is a way of thinking and acting; here is an agile strategy that makes collaboration take place at the necessary speed for social good.” Yo-Yo Ma
Podcast Episodes
In addition to the book, Ed’s done a number of podcasts – here are a few that will give you a fuller picture:
Ed spoke with Philip McKenzie on The Deep Dive podcast in an episode titled The Power of Strategic Doing. The Deep Dive is a culture and insights podcast; Philip is an anthropologist who uses his expertise in culture to advise organizations on how best to thrive in an increasingly challenging and uncertain environment.
Aga Bajer, a “culture strategist,” based in Italy, invited Ed to discuss Why Strategic Doing Beats Strategic Planning for her podcast, The Culture Lab.
And you can always access this current list of Ed’s (and his colleagues’) podcast appearances.
The Lab has its own podcast as well. In particular, check out these episodes with Ed:
The Role of Civility in What’s Next
The 4 Questions That Create a Strategy
Learn more: Video on Complex Strategies
Ed’s just released a new video, which expands on his most popular LinkedIn post. We’d like to share it with you – just fill out the form below and we’ll send you the link: