In old-fashioned control systems, managers made these decisions. Energizing the System. The final lever of the modern manager is the ability to add energy to the system. Complex systems in which energy is not added wind down, get disordered, and atrophy. Conversely, as Nobel Laureate Ilya Prigogine has shown, when energy is added to complex systems they spontaneously self-organize.
Managers add energy in several ways.
They inspire and challenge. They motivate, generating excitement and enthusiasm. They provide vision and leadership. They mediate conflict, turning it into a source of creativity and innovation, rather than a negative waster of energy. They align reward systems to outcomes.