Curators of Complexity: Why Choreographers Succeed Where Agile Frameworks Struggle

In an era dominated by rapid technological evolution and AI’s pervasive influence, traditional frameworks and project management methodologies often struggle to keep up. For example, the Waterfall model, with its linear, sequential approach, falters in environments where rapid iteration and continuous feedback are essential, making it difficult to respond swiftly to changing conditions and emerging opportunities. Enter the Choreographer—more than a manager, this role curates complexity, orchestrating the dynamic interplay of people, processes, and intelligent systems, enabling adaptive outcomes where linear thinking falls short.

This concept is brilliantly explored in Do Bigger Things: A Practical Guide to Powerful Innovation in a Changing World by Dan McClure and Jennifer Wilde . The book delves into how innovation requires not just new ideas but new ways of leading and connecting complex systems—the essence of what a Choreographer does.

The Limits of Traditional Frameworks

Agile methodologies revolutionized how teams deliver value, emphasizing flexibility, collaboration, and continuous improvement. However, these strengths can become limitations in complex environments where rapid change demands not just adaptability within set frameworks but the ability to continuously reinvent those frameworks themselves. Flexibility may turn into fragility when processes are stretched beyond their original intent. Collaboration can slow decision-making when consensus becomes a bottleneck, and continuous improvement risks focusing on incremental gains rather than transformative shifts needed to thrive in volatile conditions. Agile ceremonies, sprints, and roles can become prescriptive and insufficient when faced with:

• Rapidly evolving technologies like AI, which shift capabilities and opportunities almost overnight.
• Interconnected systems that defy linear workflows and require cross-disciplinary collaboration.
• Ambiguous environments where outcomes emerge rather than being predefined.

What Does a Choreographer Do?

Imagine a conductor not leading a single orchestra but synchronizing multiple bands, each improvising in real-time. These bands, or ecosystems, can encompass internal organizational units, customers, suppliers, and government entities—many of which are beyond the choreographer’s control, but not beyond their influence. Now, imagine some of these bands aren’t led by humans but by AI-driven systems, improvising based on real-time data rather than instinct. Each band plays in a different style, with varying tempos, instruments, and rhythms, responding to their unique audience and environment. The challenge isn’t just keeping time—it’s sensing subtle shifts, anticipating transitions, and adjusting in the moment without stifling creativity.

The Choreographer must blend strategic foresight, emotional intelligence, and technical acumen to ensure this spontaneous collaboration produces not chaos, but a cohesive, evolving masterpiece. The Choreographer:

• Manages hybrid teams consisting of both humans and AI, requiring expanded skills in digital collaboration, ethical oversight, and AI governance.
• Designs adaptive systems that evolve organically, rather than enforcing fixed processes.
• Curates connections across diverse teams, technologies, and stakeholders, fostering emergent solutions.
• Navigates ambiguity with strategic foresight, leveraging AI to sense patterns and guide decision-making.
• Balances autonomy and alignment, ensuring freedom without chaos and structure without rigidity.

Why This Role Is the Future

As AI accelerates the pace of change, organizations need leaders who can do more than manage workflows. In large-scale digital transformation projects, traditional workflow management often struggles to adapt when unexpected disruptions occur—such as sudden shifts in market demands or the rapid emergence of new AI capabilities.

In such scenarios, rigid workflows can create bottlenecks, slowing down decision-making and stifling innovation when agility is most needed. Organizations need curators of complexity—leaders who:

• Think in systems, understanding not just parts but how they interact.
• Embrace fluidity, adapting strategies as conditions evolve.
• Foster creativity and innovation, creating spaces where new ideas can flourish.
• Navigate human-AI dynamics, blending technical insight with human-centered leadership to optimize collaboration.

Evolving Agile Leadership: Becoming a Choreographer

For Project Managers, Scrum Masters, Program Managers, Product Managers, or Agile Coaches, the Choreographer isn’t a replacement—it’s an evolution. The skills honed in facilitation, coordination, and adaptive thinking are invaluable foundations. The next step is learning to:

• Orchestrate beyond teams, influencing ecosystems and networks.
• Integrate AI not just as a tool but as a dynamic partner in decision-making.
• Lead through emergence, guiding without controlling, enabling without micromanaging.
• Develop hybrid leadership skills, managing the complex interplay between human intuition and machine intelligence.

A Call to Action

The future isn’t managed; it’s choreographed. How will you take the next step in evolving from a Leader to a Choreographer? As complexity grows, the organizations that thrive will be those led by Choreographers—curators of connections, catalysts for innovation, and navigators of the unknown. Are you ready to step into this role?

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Byron is my AI writing companion (ChatGPT-4o with Canvas). Byron helps me with research, editing, drafting, and idea generation.

Many of the ideas and most of the bullet points in this article were articulated in Dan and Jennifer’s wonderful book.

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