Complexity resists direct control. What remains is the attempt to understand it. Models are not representations of reality, but reductions. They create orientation by leaving things out.
A model is always a decision: what is relevant—and what is not? This decision determines what becomes visible. And at the same time, what remains invisible.
In organizations, models often operate implicitly. They appear in org charts, processes, or metrics. But these representations are not neutral tools. They shape perception—and therefore also possible actions.
A linear model produces linear thinking. A static model hides dynamics. A simplifying model can provide orientation—or lead astray.
So the question is not whether we use models. But which ones.
Good models are not “true.” They are useful. They help recognize patterns without distorting reality. They open thinking space instead of closing it.
Perhaps their greatest strength is that they remind us that we are abstracting.
And that every abstraction has its limits.