Pipe Dreams

[Excerpted from my latest book “Quintessence” – Chapter 9]

Readers may consider the organisation described in my latest book “Quintessence“, about the quintessential tech organisation, as an unattainable dream. And for many leaders, managers, owners and staff, unattainable it is. 

At least, unless and until the merits of a set of collective assumptions and beliefs entirely different from the conventional are explored and embraced.

What induces people to begin reflecting on their assumptions and beliefs – individual and collective both?

Reading books – like “Quintessence” – doesn’t cut it. Listening to other folks’ experiences doesn’t cut it. Evidence doesn’t cut it. Challenging folks and their beliefs often only results in the Backfire Effect.

(Chin & Benne 1969) suggest there are three basic approaches to effecting changes in folks’ assumptions and beliefs: rational, normative and coercive. 

Rational Approaches

People, being y’know, people, will most likely map anything they see or hear onto their current frame, their current mental model, rather than change that frame / model.  Some very few people might react to a rational approach by becoming curious. Perhaps because of some previous experiences, these few curious folks’ minds are at least partly open to rethinking some of their fundamental assumptions and beliefs. This book, by its nature, employs a rational approach.

Normative Approaches

The normative approach refers to the taking of actions that deliberately aim to change norms, beliefs, assumptions or attitudes. On the path to the quintessential, this means getting out into the organisation, and studying how assumptions and beliefs govern the way the work works, at first hand. In the Lean canon, this is often referred to as going to the gemba. Each time this studying reveals a counterintuitive truth, denial or dismissal is no longer an option. The student is directly challenged to surface and reflect on their mental model.

Coercive Approaches

Coercive approaches rely on the use of violence, such as fear, obligation, guilt and shame. As a means for transformation of assumptions and beliefs they are doomed to fail. Quintessential organisations know full well the futility of violence.

– Bob

Further Reading

Seddon, J. (2019). Beyond Command and Control. Vanguard Consulting Ltd.

Chin, R., Benne, K.D. and Bennis, W.G. (1969). General Strategies for Effecting Changes in Human Systems. Holt, Rinehart and Winston Inc.