One of the concepts  from my graduate studies in leadership  that has made a difference in how I see things is Margaret Wheatley’s  application of the laws of thermodynamics  to organizations. Closed organizations that do not take in new information die. Organizations that stay open and adapt to new information live.
Interestingly,  Michael Simmons reports that working in an open network happens to be the greatest predictor of career success.
http://www.businessinsider.com/top-predictor-of-career-success-2015