And now we all do it!

[alfreda89]

seaweed_shark posted this comment on Saturday about attempts to get things done at his university (he's down to one class left on an advanced degree before taking a position in the Middle East):

...we got to talking about the current project I am working on. I told her, "I went by [institition] to see about [project], but when I actually got to talk to the people, it would not be putting things to boldly to say they DUMPED on me--all the frustrations and concerns about a situation that is totally out of control and about which no one seems to be doing anything useful."

"I'm not surprised," my adviser answered, "considering the situation over there. Everything I know about management I learned from studying eighteenth-century Choktaw chiefs. They had no power. All they could do was figure out who the significant parties really were in any controversy, then listen to them--really listen, until every single party in the controversy had talked and talked so much that they were just talked out, and lastly, articulate consensus. And when they did that, they found that everyone was eager to reach common ground, enthusiastically eager, because everyone felt they'd been heard, and it really WAS consensus. That process worked so well that it was why the Indians in the Southeast had to be removed from their lands by force when the United States conquered them: they were so well organized socially that no other strategy would work. That's still the essential principle of management today -- only it has one down side: it takes time, and no one wants to give it time so they come up with one crackpot management scheme after another that promises to offer the same benefits without requiring time, consideration, effort and sincerity. Of course it doesn't work! So everyone is angry. State of the world." She shook her head.

Since I'm part Choctaw, I'm pleased to know that my ancestors managed their lives so well -- at least until the European refugees pushed them out....

Comments

[lagilman]

mmm, except that presupposes that there is no time limit on solving a particular problem...

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

I'd imagine that the plaintiffs presented themselves close to the incident needing moderation. It would be a tiring form of management -- W does a lot of hands-on with his departments, trying to keep everyone happy and productive. It's tiring, but he has the lowest rollover rate in the company.

[lagilman]

I'd imagine that the plaintiffs presented themselves close to the incident needing moderation.


That's sort of my point - consensus requires time, especially if there's a group of opinions involved. If you only have, say, three weeks to get a project done, sitting around discussing the best way to approach it until everyone's satisfied means you'e not going to make your date.

I'm not saying it's a bad way to deal with things, just that it's not always workable. Especially taken into modern business schedules, where time is not only money, but long-term survival.

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

W says it's always an interesting problem. The bigger the organization, the less true consensus building happens -- it looks like consensus, but someone has real authority to finally say: "We're going to do this" and make it stick. The problem with true consensus, he says, is that there usually are people who will never compromise. Sort of like the passive-aggressive of my Ex, where he would never offer a choice for a restaurant, but felt he could always veto my suggestions. People like that can cause fragmentation, if no one has authority.

[lagilman]

The bigger the organization, the less true consensus building happens -- it looks like consensus, but someone has real authority to finally say: "We're going to do this" and make it stick

Sort of the democratic dictatorship model. Everyone gets a say, and the boss decides....

(The problem comes when there's nobody willing to be the one to say "we're done with meetings, time to stick it." At some point, no matter how millipedian the organization, there can only be one head, and it works best if it's still attached to the body...)

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

Sort of the democratic dictatorship model. Everyone gets a say, and the boss decides....

Now where have we seen that?

Unfortunately.