Aggregation is the corollary of Reductionism and it is the common approach to both scaling and integration
Aggregation and reduction is fine if you have a highly constrained system
Projects labeled as Transformations are typically based on defined interfaces or formal links (eg., org structures, power hierarchies)
The task is putting things into boxes and then fitting them together like a jigsaw.
Top leaders craft an ideal Future state
Blueprint/roadmap work staged in linear, sequential phases
Reductionistic view as puzzle
All parts are discrete and known - strategy, technology, process, people
Work on each part and then reassemble
Approach works well well dealing with Known knowns, Known unknowns (aka risk) and Unknown knowns (tacit knowledge)
However if the work environment has elements of uncertainty, unpredictability, volatility, the project does not totally reside in the Complicated domain
In a merger, acquisition, or integration where we want to scale capabilities, we can’t just add them together
The properties of the new system as a whole is not the sum of the existing parts but are unique to the system as a whole
