Making decisions in complex situations
The Key to Success in Operational Excellence
Rather than offering us yet another series of case studies or a list of best practices that have been covered to death, Olivier Zara offers us a real model for achieving decision-making excellence and thus managing decision-making risks in complex situations.
Arnaud Brouxel, ex-Safran & Thales, Risk Management Expert
A bible to read for all transformation agents and leaders!
Jérôme Lavancier, Program Director Agile@Scale Transformation Coordination at Société Générale
A must read! This book should be in the hands of every manager. Olivier Zara excels at explaining complex issues in simple terms.
This book makes you feel good: it deals with fundamental issues and proposes concrete, realistic and achievable solutions, focusing on a company's greatest asset: people.
It is an invitation to restore meaning, trust and engagement within the organization through collective co-construction. A major paradigm shift. It's time to take action, and this book gives us the keys to making that change.
Anne Betton, Founder Anastasens - Previously Senior Director at Deloitte
Olivier Zara's finest opus! As I close this book, I feel that it can be enjoyed at any stage of the reader's intellectual journey. In fact, I feel that this book will quickly become a "classic," in the sense that it should be read and reread regularly to find new inspiration each time, with constant delight.
Practical as well as philosophical, it fits in with, or is at odds with, other books and concepts that are stirring the moment, for example on the climate emergency, cognitive biases or toxic managerial postures.
In short, this book on decision-making excellence is not a disembodied theoretical vision, but an essential work for understanding and evolving in the world of people and their organizations.
Pierre Galletti, Management Consultant, Senior Partner at Tripode Performance
After reading this book, you will question your way of deciding and much more!
Charles Didier, Transformative Business Leader at Huntsman Corporation
Olivier Zara's book on decision-making excellence is pragmatic, systemic and coherent with the reality of today's business world.
In an increasingly complex world, it's becoming difficult to make decisions, despite all our efforts to implement greater agility. Learning to make effective, agile and collaborative decisions is an art that too few of us know how to apply.
An approach based on decision-making excellence guarantees a high level of engagement. Olivier's model is logical, full of meaning and firmly rooted in a reality where the human factor has its rightful place. In these troubled times, take the time to benefit from this feedback, as it will help you to better live your job as a manager and decision-maker tomorrow.
Xavier Durochat, Head of Learning & Development, Change and Transformation at BNP Paribas
After the 2008 crisis, some spoke of a paradigm shift… alas, nothing of the sort happened. We quietly went back to business as usual. This time, we are facing—and will continue to face—a systemic crisis… an opportunity for a genuine paradigm shift. To change how we think and act on every issue. In his book on decision-making excellence, Olivier Zara offers tools, methods and a highly inspiring governance model for business leaders, policymakers, journalists and, of course, managers. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to discover the path that will lead us to lasting prosperity by moving from a cult of action to a culture of co-construction.
Jean-Claude Dussaucy, management consultant — formerly a Major General in the French armed forces commissariat
This book is a treasure trove of explanations on the causes of failure in business transformation projects and programs. The Decision-Making Excellence Manifesto should not be included as an appendix to this book, but on the syllabus of all management schools!
Charles Escoula, Project Manager at AVEM-group
This book proposes a robust and coherent model for managing complexity and crises, but it also invites us to value our human, ethical and altruistic qualities. Are you ready to take a journey into a 21st century enterprise?
Paul-Louis Moreau, Change & Digital Transformation Manager at BNP Paribas
An indispensable book to understand this complex subject from all perspectives and discover the benefits of new managerial approaches.
Olivier Bernard, Deputy Director of Flight Safety at Air France
I strongly recommend reading this book if you feel the need to secure your decision making process in a complex and uncertain environment (which you should!). Are you sure you're running in the right direction? You will find tools and best practices to renew your change management habits. Aimed at leaders, managers and consultants.
Florence Meyer, Coach & Leadership Consultant, Speaker & Author
Olivier Zara’s sassy, iconoclastic and fresh new opus provides techno-language-free incisive and useful advice to make decisions that work! This book reveals a very powerful technology yet as old as homo sapiens to make it happen. A must "read & test" without moderation!
Thierry Roussin, Founder at Aguialabs, Changemaker in Disruptive Innovation, Impact Investing, and Venture Philanthropy to drive Societal Change
At a time when companies are scrambling to introduce agility into their organizations, trying too hard to do things well—and, above all, quickly—can sometimes lead us to overlook the crucial stage of analysis and reflection. Every organization and every team should be treated as an individual entity, something unique, rather than as a standard model. Olivier Zara’s book offers this perspective to help us avoid heading very quickly… straight into a wall!
Marie Bronsard, Coordination Mission Support Officer at EDF
A tremendous synthesis of what we are experiencing in companies today. Illuminating, inspiring, realistic and visionary, but above all, humble. Thank you, Olivier!
Bénédicte Magnin-Feysot, consultant supporting people and organizations through transformation
Olivier Zara’s latest book is an extraordinary synthesis of his entire body of work and essential reading for anyone wishing to pursue decision-making excellence in the face of the great complexity of our VUCA environment. Exceptional, brilliant and down-to-earth, it makes the power of collective intelligence and Strategic Codev accessible to everyone. A highly useful book for those who aspire to become better managers, decision-makers and leaders.
Claude Emond, trainer and coach in organizational transformation, agility, performance and growth
Olivier presents his model and framework with a clear and precise approach and processes. He has a great talent for writing in a simple but never simplistic way. We feel the depth and experience behind his words.
François Lavallée, organizational biologist, Founder of AliterConcept www.aliterconcept.com
The decision to write this book is itself an example of “decision-making excellence”! A nonconformist book that challenges fashionable recommendations on agility, participatory management and collaboration by setting them against realities on the ground and cognitive biases. The author uses very practical models and tools that demonstrate his experience in supporting companies and, above all, help debunk several seemingly good but misguided ideas about decisions and operational excellence.
Farid Yandouz, Senior Executive at Trusted Advisors Group — Change & Transformation Expert
Olivier Zara offers us a very powerful book on decision-making. In it, you will find a coherent, practical model for better managing decision-making risks, particularly through collective intelligence.
Guillaume Peter, management and human resources consultant
Among the books I have read on collective intelligence, some mention the need to move beyond the Taylorist paradigm at the heart of the bureaucratic middle layers throughout the twentieth century, allowing work to be devalued and customers to slip away (from being captive because supply was scarce to becoming a scarce resource, hard to retain amid an abundance of offerings). This is where Olivier Zara’s book comes in. How can we get rid of the Taylorist paradigm, with its distrust of work, and counter its devastating effects on engagement and motivation? The post-Taylorist ecosystem promotes collective intelligence and participatory management to encourage co-construction, which alone can foster engagement among those involved in decisions or affected by their implementation.
We need management that is aware:
In this book, I recognize influences we share, particularly Simon Sinek’s ideas about the Why, the How and the What, as well as the mechanisms of individual recognition. These references made the book easier to read. It also takes a close interest in the issues facing middle managers, of whom I am one. Moving beyond the Taylorist paradigm means moving from the role of a mere transmission belt, offering little recognition or engagement, to that of managing people, with all the challenges… and commitment that entails. The book reads smoothly and offers real insights to anyone who encounters management in their daily work, whether as a manager or as someone being managed.
Xavier Richard, Branch Manager at Caisse d'Épargne CEPA
If you are concerned by decision-making process, Olivier’s book is a real must-read book if you seek to survive in a complex environment.
Marc Weltmann, CEO of Nexidée, International Purchasing Specialist
The first time I encountered Olivier, he was a subject of study in a change management course during my master’s degree in public administration at ENAP. His approach to the concepts of collective intelligence is powerful: the distinction between the complex and the complicated, and how to manage decision-making. The second time our paths crossed was at a training session, where I saw that he had complete command of his subject. To me, he is a twenty-first-century architect. His latest book on decision-making excellence brings together all the knowledge he shares so generously and responsibly. This is a book to give to any manager who makes decisions; and to go further, read his other books too. You are sure to enjoy the experience.
Karina Boies, Head of Employee Experience, City of Montréal & Public Administration Research at ENAP
The work behind this book is colossal. One feels that it is the fruit of a long experience. Inspiring and pragmatic, this book invites us to take action in a world that must change. The stakes of ecology and globalization, undermined by a simple virus, are just a few reasons. It is no longer time to look for heroes who know everything, it is time to use collective intelligence to enable our decision-makers to make the best decisions. Olivier Zara explains how to use collective intelligence effectively and coherently in the enterprise. And above all, he doesn't just tell you what to do, he tells you why!
Philippe Meloni, CEO and Founder of Innodirect
In the complex world we live in, it is becoming increasingly difficult to structure our thoughts and put our actions into simple words.
In this book, Olivier brilliantly pulls off this feat as he discusses decision-making, operational and creative excellence. He offers a precise, almost surgical examination of what is at stake in our collective meetings.
I recommend this book to all people and organizations who truly want to embark on a process of change. Enjoy the read!
Marc Rysenaer, collective intelligence facilitator and trainer at mattéco
We measure a team’s performance by its ability to move quickly in a world of constant technological change. Moving quickly is the new norm. But what happens if the team runs fast in the wrong direction? We therefore measure leaders’ and managers’ performance by their ability to point the way. But how can we be sure of the direction? What do we do when the challenges are complex and the manager knows for certain that he or she does not know? How can we minimize mistakes in direction, which so often prove fatal? By reading this invaluable guide by Olivier Zara: Decision-Making Excellence.
Cyril OGEE, mentor at Assertive Career Mentoring
The current situation shows us just how difficult it is to think clearly and make a good decision in a complex situation. Gaining clarity on your own is almost impossible. Gaining clarity together is far more achievable. But this means moving beyond disputes between experts, giving up the need to be right at all costs or waiting for a savior who has all the answers, so that we can think together, starting by asking plenty of questions. Now is the right time to read Olivier Zara’s Decision-Making Excellence, which sheds considerable light on these processes.
I have put the decision-making excellence approach into practice in very different environments. Every time, employees and decision-makers were amazed by the results. The leader was able to base decisions on sound, well-supported thinking. The leader was struck by how intelligent the employees were, and they were delighted by their ability to build on individual knowledge, create value together and influence their organization’s future. I have found no better way to show a gifted person or a top expert that they have something to gain from working collectively: that the group is not merely an obstacle to their speed, but can offer insight and amplify their exceptional efficiency.
Gaëlle Brunetaud-Zaïd, Chief Transformation Officer for True Purpose
I strongly recommend this book to anyone involved in strategic management, decision-making or execution. Among its many concepts and tools, the author argues in particular that many managers fail to distinguish between the simple, the complicated and the complex. This undermines effectiveness in decision-making and, subsequently, in operations: if the decision is not sound, its implementation will not be either.
For 20 years, the author has been modeling the concepts and methods that work, while organizations continue to impose on their managers what does not work, such as annual performance reviews or an astonishing number of meetings, each longer and more pointless than the last, whose only purpose is to rubber-stamp a decision already made beforehand—smoke and mirrors.
Olivier Zara is a humanist who knows full well that management will inevitably improve once the Taylorist paradigm has disappeared completely. His book is dense and profound. It describes dozens of management concepts. It is therefore not as easy to read as a novel, but its value lies in how much easier it could make it for managers simply to do their jobs better.
Jean Paul Jacquet, trainer and coach for salespeople and managers at Alyas-Formaco
A relevant book which offers a holistic and systemic reflection on decision-making intelligence.
This book allows us to better understand (theory) and approach (practice) this complex subject in a more accurate way, both by making us aware of the benefits of new managerial approaches and by revealing the causes of failure of organizational transformation projects and programs. To be put in the hands of all decision-making agents within organizations.
Sabrina Bouraoui, Leadership Development Consultant, Founder of Shades of Gray