持續變動時代的生存指南

聽起來或許有點奇怪，但在當今瞬息萬變的市場，組織若想好好發展和茁壯，最好的方式就是像章魚一樣行動和運作。
As quirky as it may sound, the best way for organizations to operate and to thrive in today's dynamic marketplace is to act and behave like an octopus.

為何這麼說呢？章魚其實是地球上最令人驚嘆的海洋生物之一。章魚的適應力極強，擁有分散式智慧，而且天生充滿好奇心。像章魚一樣行動，這能生動說明組織想在現今經濟情勢中蓬勃發展必須採取的運作方式。

傳統的商業模式和做法可以比喻為《綠野仙蹤》中的「錫人」，因為它們是為追求穩定、控制和效率而設計。這些模式固然高效，但缺乏情感與生命力，也愈來愈跟不上現今企業成功所需的條件。

如果你想真正成長，就別再當錫人了，請像章魚一樣行動和運作。

「事實上，組織不可能用線性、整齊的方式變成章魚。就像經營穩固的婚姻或家庭，這是一個混亂的過程，你必須同時處理許多事務，不斷試錯，並在重重挑戰中逐步取得進展；你還得持續用心經營，才能維持下去。大海永遠在流動，但章魚學會在驚濤駭浪中生生不息。我們期許這本書同樣能幫助你——改變你解決問題的方式，也改變你判斷問題的眼光。我們希望能幫助你和你的團隊，改變行為和文化，實現更偉大的成就。從這裡開啟你的旅程，你將會發現組織也能像充滿驚奇的章魚一樣，快速而優雅地學習及適應，同樣充滿玩心與智慧。」
──菲爾．勒布朗與雅娜．維爾納

How so? An octopus is in fact one of the most remarkable sea dwellers on the planet. Octopuses are highly adaptable, have distributed intelligence, and enjoy innate curiosity. Acting like an octopus is a great metaphor for how organizations need to act in order to thrive in today's economic conditions.

Traditional business models and practices can be termed "Tin Man" (as in The Wizard of Oz) in that they have been designed for stability, control, and efficiency. They are efficient, but they lack heart and vibrancy, and are becoming increasingly out-of-step with what's required to excel today.

If you want to thrive, forget being a Tin Man. Act and behave like an octopus.

"The reality is that an organization doesn't become an Octopus in a linear, tidy fashion. Like building a strong marriage or family, it's a messy process that involves doing a few things simultaneously, making mistakes, making incremental progress on specific aspects of your challenges; and it must be tended to constantly to be preserved. The ocean is always moving, but an octopus learns to thrive in the turbulent flow. Our aspiration is that this book helps you in a similar way—that it changes how you solve problems, how you decide which problems you solve. We want to help you, and your teams, change behaviors and your culture to achieve great things. Start your journey here, and you'll find your organization can learn and adapt as quickly and gracefully, as playfully and intelligently as the ceaselessly amazing octopus."
– Phil Le-Brun and Jana Werner