Business Environment
Complexity & Systems Theory
“I don’t know the score anymore; it’s not clear anymore.
I can’t tell right from wrong anymore; I just don’t understand.”
Song: Vigil
Album: Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors
Interpret: Fish
Understand the environment an organisation operates in.
Stacey, Ralph D. (2010): Complexity and Organizational Reality
Business Environment
Systems Thinking
“‘To be or not to be’ is a very lengthy question.
Has somebody please got a sharpened pencil they can lend?“
Song: History Lessens
Album: Irrational Anthems
Interpret: Skyclad
Learn the importance of Interconnectedness.
Senge, Peter M. (2006): The fifth discipline
Business Environment
Economy and Ecology
“I see trees of green. Red roses too. I see them bloom. For me and you.
And I think to myself. What a wonderful world.”
Song: What a Wonderful World
Album: What a Wonderful World
Interpret: Louis Armstrong
Explore the correlation of an organisation and its environment.
Capra, Fritjof; Luisi, Pier Luigi (2016): The systems view of life
Business Concepts
Impactful Management
“Communion is evolution.
Of the mind to a higher form of reason.
Communion, a resolution.
A search for inner peace.”
Song: Communion
Album: Into the Mirror Black
Interpret: Sanctuary
Learn the human-centred approach on managing an organisation.
Appelo, Jurgen (2011): Management 3.0
Business Concepts
Teal Organisations
“And all the world will know.
Feel the warmth of the sun that shines in my eyes.
Take away the mask.
The time has come.”
Song: Time Has Come
Album: Taking the World by Storm
Interpret: Demon
Understand how worldviews are correlated to organisational models with a focus on the Evolutionary-Teal worldview.
Laloux, Frederic (2014): Reinventing organizations
Business Concepts
Organisational Happiness
“Let’s dance in style, let’s dance for a while.
Heaven can wait, we’re only watching the skies.”
Song: Forever Young
Album: Forever Young
Interpret: Alphaville
Learn how to create successful organisations based on purpose, compassion, and strength.
Juul, Lars Kure (2018): Organizational Happiness
Business Concepts
Holacracy
“Trust I seek and I find in you.
Every day for us something new.
Open mind for a different view.
And nothing else matters.”
Song: Nothing Else Matters
Album: Metallica
Interpret: Metallica
Understand the concept of Holacracy and its implementation in organisations.
Robertson, Brian J. (2016): Holacracy
Business Development
Organisational AI
“’cause at the end of the tunnel I see.
A dole-queue that’s beckoning me.”
Song: A Bellyful of Emptiness
Album: Prince of the Poverty Line
Interpret: Skyclad
Explore how AI triggered human+machine collaboration takes organisational performance to new heights.
Daugherty, Paul R.; Wilson, H. James (2024): Human + Machine, Updated and Expanded: Reimagining Work in the Age of AI
Business Development
Integrated View on Businesses
“I look at the world and see no understanding.
I’m waiting to find some sense of strength.
I’m begging you from the bottom of my heart.
To show me understanding.”
Song: Learning to Live
Album: Images and Words
Interpret: Dream Theater
Learn to apply an integrated view on organisational development.
Wilber, Ken; Wachowski, Lana (2017): A brief history of everything
Business Development
Values-Driven Development
“Visions of brighter days to come.
Kept the shadows from my sight.
Made the present bearable.
And obscured the fading light.”
Song: Chasing Time
Album: Perfect Symmetry
Interpret: Fates Warning
Learn how to use values to drive your organisational development in multiple directions.
Barrett, Richard (2013): The values-driven organization
Business Development
Lean Thinking
“It all began with the bright light.
The bright light and the noise.
The chaos of the senses and the scream of desire.”
Song: Living with the Big Lie
Album: Brave
Interpret: Marillion
Understand the concept of Lean in different contexts and how organisations should address it.
Ohno, Taiichi (2008): Toyota production system
Business Development
The Value of Giving
“There’s so much that we need to share.
So send a smile and show you care.”
Song: Give a Little Bit
Album: Even in the Quietest Moments
Interpret: Supertramp
Learn how giving positively contributes to your organisational development.
Burg, Bob; Mann, John David (2010): The Go-Giver
Business Development
Teams in Organisations
“You’ve got troubles on your own, no need to face them all alone.
We can all swing together, my oh my.”
Song: My Oh My
Album: The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome
Interpret: Slade
Learn to understand why teams are the basic functional units in organisations and what makes up a high-performing, happy team.
Katzenbach, Jon R.; Smith, Douglas K. (1993): The wisdom of teams.
Business Development
Team Dysfunctions
“I was just another fool.
Breaking everybody’s rules.
Same mistake as the last time.”
Song: Time
Album: Perfect Timing
Interpret: McAuley Schenker Group
Understand the Five Dysfunctions of a Team and how to get around them.
Lencioni, Patrick (2002): The five dysfunctions of a team
Strategic Management
Evolutionary Alignement
“It’s a pretty good crowd for a Saturday.
And the manager gives me a smile.
‘Cause he knows that it’s me they’ve been comin’ to see. To forget about life for a while.”
Song: Piano Man
Album: Piano Man
Interpret: Billy Joel
Understand the important concept of organisational alignment.
Sinek, Simon (2011): Start with why. How great leaders inspire everyone to take action
Strategic Management
Enterprise Agility
“Freeze this moment.
A little bit longer.
Make each sensation.
A little bit stronger.”
Song: Time Stand Still
Album: Hold Your Fire
Interpret: Rush
Explore the concept that leverages employee wellbeing while delivering maximum value-added to your customers.
Denning, Stephen (2010): The leader’s guide to radical management. Reinventing the workplace for the 21st century.
Strategic Management
Measuring Progress
“In the distant. Far away.
Trying to figure it out. But I can’t explain.
Now we see it. Now we don’t.
We’re floating around. In the unknown zone.”
Song: Future World
Album: Future World
Interpret: Pretty Maids
Learn how metrics influence people’s behaviour and which indicators to choose.
Vacanti, Daniel S. (2015): Actionable agile metrics for predictability
Business Ethics & CSR
Sustainable Development Goals
“Tell me just what kind of fools would laugh and stare death in the face?
Only the worst kind of fools, (like you and I – the human race).
If we laugh for long enough it could well be our epitaph.
Mother Earth will laugh the loudest – She will have the final laugh.”
Song: Our Dying Island
Album: The Wayward Sons of Mother Earth
Interpret: Skyclad
Learn how to use the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to embrace sustainable and regenerative business practices.
Brown, Lester R. (2011): World on the edge. How to prevent environmental and economic collapse.
Business Ethics & CSR
Beyond GDP and other Indicators
“Images of sorrow, pictures of delight.
Things that go to make up a life.
Endless days of summer, longer nights of gloom.
Waiting for the morning life.
Scenes of unimportance, photos in a frame.
Things that go to make up a life.”
Song: Home by the Sea
Album: Genesis
Interpret: Genesis
Understand the concept of Beyond GDP, learn about more integrative indicators, and learn how they influence your business.
Stiglitz, Joseph E.; Sen, Amartya; Fitoussi, Jean-Paul (2010): Mismeasuring our lives. Why GDP doesn’t add up
Psychological Perspective
Happiness Research
“Unto those who have enough.
You give more free of charge.
What becomes of those with nothing?
You stand back and let them starve.”
Song: The Present Imperfect
Album: The Silent Whales of Lunar Sea
Interpret: Skyclad
Learn to understand how Happiness Research, a new science invented at the beginning of the 21st century, impacts your organisational development.
Layard, Richard (2006): Happiness
Psychological Perspective
Positive Psychology
“And for any day that stings,
two better days it brings.
Nothing is as bad as it seems.”
Song: Master of the Wind
Album: The Triumph of Steel
Interpret: Manowar
Learn the concept of Positive Psychology and how it fosters human and organisational development.
Seligman, Martin E. P. (2011): Flourish
Psychological Perspective
Psychological Safety
“Passing the time and passing the blame
We carry on in the same old way
We’ll find out we left it too late one day
To say what we meant to say.”
Song: The Last Straw / Happy Ending
Album: Clutching at Straws
Interpret: Marillion
Understand the concept of Psychological Safety and its fundamental necessity for humans and organisations to thrive and flourish.
Edmondson, Amy C. (2018): The Fearless Organization
Leadership
Agile Leadership
“In this life that you’re leading you’re fooling yourself –
if you think you are better than anyone else.”
Song: When All Else Fails
Album: Tracks from the Wilderness
Interpret: Skyclad
Learn the leadership concepts born from the Agile way-of-working.
Sochova, Zuzana (2020): The Agile Leader: Leveraging the Power of Influence
Leadership
Positive Leadership
“A long, long time ago.
I can still remember how that music used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance.
That I could make those people dance.
And maybe they’d be happy for a while.”
Song: American Pie
Album: American Pie
Interpret: Don McLean
Learn how Positive Leadership contributes to fulfilling and purposeful work environments.
Cameron, Kim (2012): Positive Leadership
Leadership
Regenerative Leadership
“So many theories, so many prophecies.
What we do need is a change of ideas.
When we are scared, we can hide in our reveries.
But what we need is a change of ideas.”
Song: Change of Ideas
Album: No Control
Interpret: Bad Religion
Learn how leadership contributes to restoring the damage caused by human activity on natural, social, and economic systems and how to become a regenerative change agent.
Hardman, John (2011): Leading For Regeneration
Social Competence
Impactful Communication
“People talking without speaking.
People hearing without listening.”
Song: The Sound of Silence
Album: Sounds of Silence
Interpret: Simon & Garfunkel
Understand the concepts of empathetic and thriving communication.
Hanh, Thich Nhat (2013): The Art of Communicating
Social Competence
Inclusive Decision-Making
“I can lend a helping hand.
If you ain’t got nothing planned”
Song: My Oh My
Album: The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome
Interpret: Slade
Learn how to create supportive and respectful environments using a co-operative decision-making approach.
Maiwald, Josef (2018): Smart Decision-Making: Systemic Consensing for Managers
Social Competence
Responsibility Process
“The fool escaped from paradise will look over his shoulder and cry.
Sit and chew on daffodils and struggle to answer why?”
Song: Script for a Jester’s Tear
Album: Script for a Jester’s Tear
Interpret: Marillion
Understand the pitfalls of mentally dealing with problems, the process of personal responsibility, and how this improves your wellbeing.
Avery, Christopher (2016): The Responsibility Process
Economics, Finance & Marketing
Behavioral Economics
“If my heart could do the thinking.
So my head could relax for a moment.
And cope with the feelings.”
Song: Waves Of Visual Decay
Album: Waves Of Visual Decay
Interpret: Communic
Understand the concepts of biases and how they influence your decision-making.
Kahneman, Daniel (2012): Thinking, fast and slow.
Economics, Finance & Marketing
Beyond Budgeting
“Each moment’s a game and I must play it to win.
And if you cannot bear it then you’ll just have to grin.”
Song: The Wickedest Man in the World
Album: Jonah’s Ark
Interpret: Skyclad
Understand the pitfalls of long-term budget planning and get to know more flexible ways of dealing with budgets.
Bogsnes, Bjarte (2016): Implementing beyond budgeting
Economics, Finance & Marketing
Social Media Marketing
“See, it’s only entertainment.
A superficial episode.
As life continues to unfold.
Only entertainment.
Controlled and copied.
They’ve planted the seed.
That sprouts into your picture of the world.”
Song: Only Entertainment
Album: Generator
Interpret: Bad Religion
Learn how to maximise your marketing benefit using Social Media.
Scott, David Meerman (2024): The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to Use Content Marketing, AI, Social Media, Podcasting, Video, and Newsjacking to Reach Buyers Directly
Entrepreneurship
Personal Entrepreneurship
“Prove yourself.
You are the move you make.
Take your chances, win or loser.“
Song: Owner of a Lonely Heart
Album: 90125
Interpret: Yes
Understand the specifics of embracing an entrepreneurial mindset.
Clark, Timothy; Osterwalder, Alexander; Pigneur, Yves; Hazen, Bruce; Smith, Alan (2022): Business Model You
Entrepreneurship
Organisational Entrepreneurship
“There are times it’s hard to swallow.
When the world comes down on you.
May it shine on you tomorrow.
And your dreams, they all come true.“
Song: When The World Comes Down
Album: Vigilante
Interpret: Magnum
Learn the concepts on how to successfully run and manage a startup.
Ries, Eric (2011): The lean startup.