The Illinois Model

Courtesy of The Virtus Group, Inc. The concepts of  Rules   and   Creativity   are diametrically related. Whenever an organization enacts a new "rule," a bit of creativity is killed.  In my roles as a trainer and policy writer for a police department, I continually navigate and map out the treacherous chasm between what we've called   Rules   and   Creativity  environments and functions. For each and every situation, there is a tradeoff between   restricting decisions via standardized procedures   and   empowering fresh solutions via open creativity .  This spectrum is anchored at two ends: RULES and CREATIVITY.  Rules   are for known and predictable environments. Checklists and step-by-step processes ensure efficiency and consistency. (In policing, we have rigid rules governing: uniform standards; scheduling; criminal laws and statutes; evidence collection; traffic crash reports.) ...

Today's world is not just complicated; it's complex.  Complication,  while containing a lot of pieces, still has finite variables and calculable solutions - things like Swiss watches and Ferraris.   Complexity , however, is an environment where some of the variables are not only unknown and rapidly changing, but also unknowable and antagonistic.  Complexity , however, is an environment where some of the variables are not only unknown and rapidly changing, but also unknowable and antagonistic.   Are today's leaders prepared to navigate this complexity? Do they have the tools to critically analyze and make decisions off partial (or   conflicting !) data sets? Are our schools or training programs giving our leaders the mindset to adapt to the changing landscapes and unpredictable future? Have we adequately articulated what   agility   or   flexibility   look like in ou...