These are powerful times – characterised by rapid change, boundless complexity and pervasive uncertainty. This is an extraordinarily
difficult environment in which to make critical decisions about
complex challenges – social, economic, technological, environmental.
And even when a decision is taken the challenge of implementation
and delivery remains.
Success depends on taking on the challenge.
It is easier to shelter from the storm, in the hope that it
will pass. It is natural to seek out islands of supposed calm
and apparent competence to avoid engaging with the turbulence.
Many organisations are advised to intensify their standard processes,
strengthen the centre, stick to what they know and emphasise
short-term delivery.
These defensive approaches are insufficient in the face of a complex present and an uncertain future. They are based on apparently permanent economic and social structures that are everywhere under threat; on analytical concepts and models that no longer capture the way things really are; on institutional and organisational structures ill-fitted to the new context.
IFF adopts a different approach, derived from successful experience and based on three fundamental orientations:
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