Questioning Management

What Do We Think We Know?

Let’s get to the point: We’re talking about management. Yeah, the way bosses tell you what to do and you do it, or else. I’ve got a question: Why do we think this is the only way, or even the best way, to get things done?

Why Do We Follow the Rules?

We’ve got these big structures in place, right? Boss at the top, managers in the middle, employees at the bottom. Now, it’s not that we shouldn’t have rules or structure. But why this structure? Did anyone ever stop to think if this pyramid is helping or hindering?

Are There Other Ways?

Now, let’s imagine we look for other methods. Not just because they’re new or trendy, but because we want to know if they work better. Stuff like teamwork, collaboration—where everyone’s on the same page, and decisions aren’t just coming from the top down. The important thing is to look at the evidence. Test it out. And for heaven’s sake, don’t just stick with something because that’s how it’s always been done!

How Do We Change Minds?

Okay, so you’ve found that these new methods are working better. How do you get the bosses to listen? Invite them to go see for themselves (a.k.a. normative learning). Just showing them your data isn;t going to get it done. Joing in creating experiments, and let them see the results first hand. Change is hard, but self-gathered evidence is hard to argue with.

What’s Next?

Hey, questioning how we manage things is bound to make some folks uncomfortable. But if we’re going to keep up with the times, we’ve got to be willing to ask tough questions. The goal here isn’t to topple the pyramid but to build something better—something that works for everyone, not just the people at the top.

So, what are we waiting for? Let’s start questioning, testing, and improving. After all, that’s how we learn, isn’t it?