Exceptions Become the Operating Model Before Anyone Notices

Exceptions Become the Operating Model Before Anyone Notices

Brett Ferguson
Published on: 22/09/2026

Recurring exceptions reveal the constraints a standard operating model no longer represents, pushing routine work into manual overrides, private knowledge, and workarounds.

operational exceptionsconstraint visibilityoperating modelmanual workaroundsprocess compliancecustomer complexityoperational scaling
Some government friction is there on purpose

Some government friction is there on purpose

Brett Ferguson
Published on: 31/08/2026

What the U.S. constitutional system can teach us about coordination: why distributed authority, dependencies, and constraints can create necessary friction rather than dysfunction.

coordination systemsorganizational designdecision authorityconstraint visibilityfailure containmentchecks and balancesseparation of powersorganizational frictioncoordination contractsadaptation capacityU.S. governmentconstitutional designRecursive Coordination Theory
AI authority is moving faster than risk accountability

AI authority is moving faster than risk accountability

Brett Ferguson
Published on: 20/08/2026

AI adoption is changing who leads the conversation inside some organizations. In [What senior leaders want to know about AI](https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/what-senior-leaders-want-to-know-about-ai), MIT Sloan School of Management

AI adoptionC-suiteIT governanceconstraint visibilitydecision authoritydecision rightsdigital transformationfailure containmentrisk accountability
The boundaries around an innovation shape what leaders can see

The boundaries around an innovation shape what leaders can see

Brett Ferguson
Published on: 31/07/2026

An organization decides to solve a business problem. A new product, process, or operating approach begins to take shape around that decision. Before implementation starts, though, another choice has already been made: the organization has defined

constraint visibilityexternalitiesfailure containmentstate traceabilitysustainable innovationsystem boundariessystems thinkingunintended consequences