Join getAbstract to access the summary!

Iterate

Join getAbstract to access the summary!

Iterate

Run a Fast, Flexible, Focused Management Team

An Inc. Original,

15 min read
9 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

You can’t forecast the future, but you can iterate.

  • 0.5×
  • 0.75×
  • 1×
  • 1.25×
  • 1.5×
  • 1.75×
1×

Editorial Rating

9

getAbstract Rating

  • Innovative
  • Applicable
  • Well Structured

Recommendation

Amid constant change, today’s linear approach to strategic planning may no longer be the best strategy. Instead, says author Ed Muzio, use an iterative approach by adjusting your future plans on a step-by-step, look-listen-and-learn basis. Drawing on seven decades of management research, Muzio packs this practical manual with solid information on how companies should learn from experience, test and iterate. His techniques will help managers increase team productivity and organizational effectiveness. 

Summary

When you iterate, you progress logically, one step at a time, based on the best available data.

Change occurs too rapidly today for linear management. Organizations need an iterative approach that moves ahead step by step based on feedback and the best current data.

An iterative system efficiently processes the latest information and makes decisions accordingly. These decisions enable an organization to know that each sequential step is reasonable and derives from experience. The second step of an iterative process stems from the first step, as the third step evolves from the second, and so on. This process has nothing to do with forecasting. 

Agile organizations use iteration to move reliable information forward as the basis for making decision. This leads to flexible planning with defined outcomes. In iterative organizations, everything revolves around the question: “What’s the next most logical step to be taken?” The organization takes this step, learns from it and repeats the process. In an iterative system, each move provides useful information, moment by moment, for...

About the Author

Ed Muzio, CEO of Group Harmonics and author of the award-winners Make Work Great and Four Secrets to Liking Your Work, is a leader in applying application of analytical models to group and organizational effectiveness. 

Comment on this summary

More on this topic

Learners who read this summary also read

The Loop Approach
Book

Sebastian Klein and Ben Hughes

The Loop Approach

How to Transform Your Organization from the Inside Out
Thriving on Chaos
Book

Tom Peters

Thriving on Chaos

Handbook for a Management Revolution
Whole-Scale Change
Book

Dannemiller Tyson Associates

Whole-Scale Change

Unleashing The Magic In Organizations
The Leader's Handbook
Book

Peter R. Scholtes

The Leader's Handbook

Making Things Happen, Getting Things Done
Fourth Generation Management
Book

Brian L. Joiner

Fourth Generation Management

The New Business Consciousness
Customer Focused Process Innovation
Book

David Hamme

Customer Focused Process Innovation

Linking Strategic Intent to Everyday Execution

    Related Skills

    AI Transformation
    Be Creative
    Be Emotionally Intelligent
    Become More Adaptable
    Build and Maintain Well-Being
    Communicate Effectively
    Develop the Organization
    Develop Your Thinking Skills
    Digital Transformation
    Enhance Employee Experience
    Ensure Production Quality
    Entrepreneurship
    Execute Digital Operations
    Foster a Culture of Innovation
    Human Resources
    Innovate Strategically
    Innovation
    Lead Ethically
    Lead Strategically
    Leadership
    Manage Performance
    Manage Risk
    Navigate Leadership Challenges
    Optimize Production
    Personal Growth
    Plan and Strategize Your Sales
    Promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
    Sales
    Shape Organizational Culture
    Understand Innovation
    Understand Organizations
    Workplace Skills
    Develop Team Members
    Evaluate Employees
    Identify Skills Gaps
    Embrace Change
    Leverage AI for Management
    Maintain Work-Life Balance
    Manage Your Leadership Impact
    Understand Organizational Change
    Communicate Transparently
    Executive Leadership
    Improve Team Performance
    Create a Sense of Belonging
    Foster Ownership in Others
    Set and Track KPIs
    Understand Cognition
    Collaborate Across Functions
    Manage Change
    Cultivate a Growth Mindset
    Become More Productive
    Build Team Cohesion
    Strengthen Team Collaboration
    Enhance Team Agility
    Master Lean Management
    Optimize Workforce Performance
    Drive Organizational Performance
    Manage Project Timelines
    Take Group Decisions
    Apply Kaizen
    Drive Project Management
    Lead Remote or Hybrid Teams
    Manage Product Innovation
    Solve Problems
    Management
    Production and Logistics
    Soft Skills
    Communicate Corporate Strategy
    Define Roles
    Organize Innovation
    Define Core Values
    Drive Team Performance
    Manage Crises
    Communicate Strategically
    Translate Strategy into Action
    Drive Product Development
    Leverage Ambidexterity
    Support Others
    Understand Social Behavior
    Collaborate Creatively
    Offer Flexible Work Arrangements
    Manage Team Boundaries
    Practice Servant Leadership
    Foster Team Culture
    Master Collaboration
    Lead through Change
    Manage People and Talent
    Plan Strategically
    Manage Project Scope and Budgets
    Conduct Performance Reviews
    Manage Sales Teams
    Plan and Execute Projects
    Lead Yourself
    Streamline Your Workflow
    Lead Inclusively
    Manage Up
    Delegate Effectively
    Develop Innovative Products
    Facilitate Discussions
    Place Talent Strategically
    Foster Collaboration
    Drive Continuous Improvement
    Make Good Decisions
    Manage Teams and Departments
    Have Effective Meetings
    Implement Agility
    Understand Team Dynamics
    Lead Operational Planning