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Planning to Adapt: Johan Ivari on Strategy, Narrative, and the Set-Based Approach
Manage episode 498426004 series 3657827
Planning isn’t about precision—it’s about possibility.
In this episode, Mike Jones is joined by Johan Ivari—Swedish Armed Forces officer, lecturer at the Swedish Defence University, and author of A Set-Based Approach: Searching for the Problem–Solution Eclipse. Together, they explore how strategy and execution can remain viable in a world shaped by unpredictability and complexity.
Johan challenges the illusion of control, unpacks why detailed plans often collapse on contact with reality, and explains how the set-based approach protects adaptability by expanding options, not narrowing them. From mission command and viable systems to cognitive agency and feedback loops, this episode is a rich exploration of thinking, learning, and leading in real time.
🔍 In this episode:
- Why narrative—not metrics—should lead execution
- The danger of detailed plans and false certainty
- How viable systems enable distributed action and coherence
- Why leaders must protect their organisation’s capacity to act
- The value of affordances and ‘coarse’ planning
- Why set-based planning improves decision quality and learning
🎧 Keywords: Set-Based Planning, Viable Systems, Mission Command, Complexity, Strategy Execution, Feedback Loops, Agency, Command and Control, Adaptive Leadership
📘 Read Johan’s paper: A Set-based Approach
📬 Connect with Johan: LinkedIn
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🔗 Full episodes, show notes, and resources: https://www.lbiconsulting.com/strategymeetsreality-podcast
📺 Watch on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@StrategyMeetsReality
🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Buzzsprout
💬 Connect with host Mike Jones → https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-h-jones/
Chapters
1. Introduction and Leadership and Command (00:00:00)
2. Understanding Command and Control (00:03:14)
3. The Importance of Adaptability in Leadership (00:05:22)
4. Embracing Uncertainty in Decision Making (00:07:55)
5. The Role of Metrics in Strategy (00:10:25)
6. The Set-Based Approach to Planning (00:13:10)
7. Empathy in Strategy Development (00:15:45)
8. The Viability of Systems in Leadership (00:18:21)
9. The Narrative in Leadership and Strategy (00:20:53)
10. Understanding Intent and Adaptability (00:27:53)
11. Set-Based Approach and Its Applications (00:30:23)
12. The Illusion of Control in Planning (00:33:50)
13. Agency and Decision-Making in Organisations (00:36:20)
14. Planning for Multiple Futures (00:39:23)
15. Feedback Loops and Communication (00:42:34)
16. The Importance of Coherence in Leadership (00:45:24)
17. Embracing Uncertainty and Continuous Learning (00:49:18)
18. Outro (00:53:06)
21 episodes
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