Baggage

[Tl;Dr: A list of e.g. Theory-X memes that Analytic-minded organisations will find themselves giving up as they become more synergistic and effective.]

I have recently been giving a series of internal presentations about growing an effective Product Development capability, using ideas from Rightshifting and the Marshall Model as a general framework.

To one slide I talk about the intellectual baggage that any e.g. Analytic-minded organisation will find itself abandoning on its journey to Radicalsville.

Aside: If such baggage is not abandoned, then it’s inevitable that the journey will be.

Another term for “baggage” might be “premises that have become (or always were) invalid”. Here’s a list of such “invalid premises” that I tweeted this morning:

• Invalid premise: Management is necessary and desirable.
• Invalid premise: Hierarchy is the best way to e.g. organise, coordinate and align.
• Invalid premise: People must be told what to do.
• Invalid premise: Predictability is a function of tight control and e.g. conformance to rules.
• Invalid premise: Predictability has no downside.
• Invalid premise: We don’t want any problems.
• Invalid premise: Coercion through e.g. fear, obligation, shame or guilt does not alter cognitive function (ability to think well).
• Invalid premise: Jackal culture, jackal language is the best and only way to motivate and direct people.
• Invalid premise: Feelings and emotions in the workplace are unprofessional and out of place.
• Invalid premise: Theory X.
• Invalid premise: Productivity and performance of individuals is down to the individual – their innate talents, skills, experience and attitudes.
• Invalid premise: Effective knowledge-work is best achieved through factory-like conditions.
• Invalid premise: Efficiency is King, effectiveness a nice-to-have.
• Invalid premise: Highly (local) optimised parts of an organisation means an optimised (whole) organisation.
• Invalid premise: Cost Accounting gives reliable numbers that can be safely used to guide decisions.
• Invalid premise: Rationality trumps intuition, emotion and humanity.
• Invalid premise: Conscious thought trumps subconscious thought.
• Invalid premise: Man is a rational animal.
• Invalid premise: Organisations as machines.
• Invalid premise: People are as interchangeable as cogwheels.
• Invalid premise: Fast is better than slow.
• Invalid premise: Anyone gives a hoot about profits.
• Invalid premise: “Telling people things” means they will respond rationally and so come to see things differently, and thereby behave differently.
• Invalid premise: My organisation works just fine.
• Invalid premise: Meaningful dialogue is an unnecessary luxury.
• Invalid premise: Investment in e.g. organisation-wide dialogue skills has a poor or uncertain ROI and is not worthwhile.
• Invalid premise: Knowledge (grey muscle) work is no different than physical (pink muscle) work.
• Invalid premise: Extrinsic motivation raises knowledge-workers’ productivity.
• Invalid premise: Truths are absolute.
• Invalid premise: Context doesn’t matter.
• Invalid premise: A comprehensive plan is a necessary prerequisite to any endeavour.

And here’s some contributions from the community:

• invalid premise: Software development is “engineering”, so it’s not knowledge work.
• Invalid Premise: Conforming to a standard is all that is required (to produce good work).
• Invalid Premise: Regular reports tell people all they need to know.
• Invalid Premise: “Projects” are the one and only way to organise and control work.
• Invalid premise: Positive feedback – let alone real compliments – are a distraction and will render people complacent.
• Invalid premise: Highlighting failures will help people improve.
• Invalid premise: Appearing reluctant to engage in a certain activity is a sign of weakness.
• (See also the suggestions in the comments section, below).

Have you any invalid premises you feel might be worth adding to this list?

– Bob