The Art of Action: How Leaders Close the Gaps between Plans, Actions, and Results

by Stephen Bungay

I tap into the help on offer in order to understand causation and outline the theory on which the solution is based. I find it in the concept of “friction,” the defining characteristic of the environment of war, which I argue is also the defining characteristic of contemporary business which makes executing strategy so difficult. Friction creates the three gaps. The concept of friction is entirely consistent with systems thinking and chaos theory, but it is more useful to managers because it describes how working in a complex adaptive system is experienced. Its elements can be seen and felt, so we can more easily work out how to deal with them.