Leveraging Complexity: The Middle Manager′s Dilemma

Aims to expose the limitations of traditional management training and development in a rapidly changing global business environment. Three blue‐chip companies decided to develop a new approach to middle management development which sought to create more meaningful managerial and organizational learning. In developing a new forum and putting managers through the event, the companies were able to deal with personal development and business improvement together through the use of the “complexity map” – the participants′ own representation of their complexity. While the forum has had successes, its challenging approach provokes opposition as well as change. However, for organizational learning to occur, such risks must be taken.