During our upcoming conference, we’ll see what progress we can make in addressing the following four questions . . .

• What are the deep-seated impediments, or “design flaws,” that limit the capacity of organizations to adapt (to change without trauma); to innovate (to mobilize the imagination of everyone, every day); and to engage (to create environments that inspire extraordinary contributions).
• Given these systemic impediments, and the new demands that will confront organizations in the years ahead, what should be the agenda for 21st century management innovators? That is, what are the “grand challenges” that must be addressed if we are to create organizations that are truly fit for the future?
• Can we imagine, even in outline form, some potential solutions to these “grand challenges,” and if so, what sorts of experiments might be useful in helping us to transcend the limits of “management as usual?”
• What could be done—by us and by others—to help accelerate the evolution of management in the years to come, that is, what is it that limits the pace of management innovation and how might these limits by overcome?