Edgar Schein’s Humble Consulting (2016) sets out an approach to consulting and advisory work that emphasises relationships, trust, and adaptive problem-solving - instead of the usual expert-driven consulting. Schein argues that in complex, fast-changing environments, consultants must move beyond offering predefined solutions and instead engage in ongoing, collaborative inquiry with clients. For risk consultants, this can be a useful approach. Managing risk involves navigating a myriad of uncertainties, as well as hard-to-understand organisational dynamics (and politics), all against the backdrop of a changing threat landscape. As ‘Humble Consultants’, risk professionals can foster deeper client trust, uncover hidden risks, and develop tailored, sustainable solutions that address not just technical challenges but also cultural and leadership dynamics with their organisations. ...

Management Control Systems (2003, 2017, 2023); by Kenneth Merchant, Wim Van der Stede; Amazon Reference from LSE, included in 21st Century Economics - Economic Ideas You Should Read and Remember quotes In a nutshell, Merchant’s and Van der Stede’s idea is brilliantly clear-cut. First, management control problems regarding a firm’s given strategy are identified: Is the desired employee behavior also the most likely one? If not, any reason for behavioral deviations is then decomposed into three roots: ...

Further reading: FAIR

Micromotives and Macrobehavior by Thomas C. Schelling examines how individual choices and actions (micromotives) can aggregate into large-scale social patterns and outcomes (macrobehavior), often with unintended or surprising consequences. Further reading Book review - Goodreads