Gerry Scullion delivered a keynote address to Google's sales teams at their European headquarters in Dublin on working within complexity, and why adapting and experimenting is key to effectiveness.
The context Google's European headquarters in Dublin brings together large, diverse sales teams working in fast moving markets. The environment is high growth, constantly changing, and full of competing pressures — the kind of setting where linear plans rarely hold and where teams must keep adapting to stay effective. As part of an internal event, Google invited Gerry Scullion to speak to their sales teams about how to operate well inside complexity, rather than trying to simplify or control it away. What we did Gerry delivered a keynote address to Google's sales teams in Dublin on working within complexity — what it means, why it matters, and how to respond. The keynote covered: 1. The nature of complexity in sales environments. Why many of the challenges sales teams face are not complicated problems with fixed answers, but complex conditions that keep shifting. 2. Adapting rather than perfecting. The move from trying to find the one right answer to continuously sensing, learning and adjusting. 3. Experimenting to increase effectiveness. How small, deliberate experiments create feedback loops that help teams discover what works in uncertain conditions. 4. Practical behaviours for
Humana Design — service design and design research consultancy, Dublin, Ireland.