Share
))
HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons hosts the most downloaded sports podcast of all time, with a rotating crew of celebrities, athletes, and media staples, as well as mainstays like Cousin Sal, Joe House, and a slew of other friends and family members who always happen to be suspiciously available.
…
continue reading
Manage episode 516956400 series 3367134
Content provided by Mark Blackwell. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Mark Blackwell or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://staging.podcastplayer.com/legal.
Volatility is rising, complexity is everywhere, and the old playbook of adding people, tools, and process is slowing teams down. We sit down with Erica Engelen to unpack what an adaptive organisation really looks like and how leaders can move from control to flow without losing quality or momentum. The beehive is our metaphor: self-managing, high trust, clear signals, and decisions made close to the work.
We trace the journey from purpose to practice. Starting with a meaningful purpose gives teams direction when markets shift. From there, we use systems mapping to bring diverse voices together and make hidden dynamics visible: feedback loops, delays, and unintended effects that basic dashboards miss. Erica shows how a startup with a strong AI vision discovered that customers needed governance and data maturity first, reshaping their priorities, partnerships, and messaging. We also dig into the scaling trap: silos, handoffs, and mounting cognitive load that create drag just when growth demands speed.
The Blue Lagoon case study highlights what changes when you map flow end-to-end and then map user needs outside-in. By creating bounded contexts and aligning teams to value streams instead of projects, they cut onboarding from months to days and shipped five new products within half a year. We talk about why technology is never neutral, how cloud and AI can either accelerate excellence or amplify bottlenecks, and what to fix before you deploy more tools. The practical takeaway: run Trojan mice, not a Trojan horse. Start small, invite a critical mass of people, and learn your way into autonomy, clarity, and sustainable speed.
If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a colleague who’s wrestling with silos, and leave a quick review so others can find us. Ready to try your first Trojan mouse? Tell us which small experiment you’ll run next.
🔗 Connect with Erica: https://www.theflowhive.com
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericaengelen/
Connect with Arkaro:
🔗 Follow us on LinkedIn:
Arkaro Company Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arkaro
Mark Blackwell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrblackwell/
Newsletter - Arkaro Insights: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/arkaro-insights-6924308904973631488/
🌐 Visit our website: www.arkaro.com
📺 Subscribe to our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@arkaro
Audio Podcast: https://arkaroinsights.buzzsprout.com
📧 For business enquiries: [email protected]
Chapters
1. Welcome And Why VUCA Matters (00:00:00)
2. Erica’s Path And The Flowhive Origin (00:01:59)
3. Lessons From Beehives And Self Management (00:04:45)
4. Defining Adaptive Organisations (00:06:26)
5. From Purpose To Systems Thinking (00:11:40)
6. Systems Mapping Explained (00:14:41)
7. Startup Case: Missing Customer Context (00:18:52)
8. Scaling Pain And The Silo Trap (00:23:30)
9. Choosing A Different Path To Scale (00:27:26)
10. Blue Lagoon: Mapping Flow Of Value (00:29:08)
11. Cognitive Load And Context Switching (00:34:56)
12. User Needs Mapping And Bounded Contexts (00:37:53)
13. Why Headcount And Tools Backfire (00:42:53)
38 episodes
