by Des Dearlove
Managers are on the receiving end of more and
more advice – from consultants, gurus and a profusion of books,
not to mention colleagues. Is the advice helpful? The answer, according
to a new book on the subject, is a resounding no. Most of the advice
on organizational learning, transformational change and employee
commitment does not work.
Flawed Advice and the Management Trap is
an indictment of the way advice is offered and applied in business.
What makes it all the more fascinating is that the author is one
of Harvard University's most influential scholars. Professor Emeritus
of Organizational Behavior, Chris Argyris is best known for his
work on organizational learning – and is credited with introducing
the term “learning organization“ to the business world.
Organizations now have available to them, Argyris
says, a broad array of advice from executives, change consultants
and academics. “Much of this advice is appealing: much of it
compelling. Providing it has become big business in it's own right.
The only problem is, most of it doesn't work.“
In Argyris' view, most of what passes for advice
is “too full of abstract claims, inconsistencies, and logical
gaps to be useful as a concrete basis for concrete actions in concrete
settings.“ Most of what comes from gurus and consultants is
simply not actionable. His core contention isn't that the advice
doesn't work because its sellers are deliberately peddling snake
oil (although, there are plenty of those around, too). Rather, in
Argyris' view, it is because of the way in which organizations operate
– including the consulting firms and academic institutions
which generate advice.
His point is that the orthodox theory of action
often makes advisers blind not just to the deficiencies of their
advice, but also to the fact that they are blind. “What they
say is not the result of ignorance, but of “skilled unawareness
and skilled incompetence“. These advisers, he suggests, are
accomplished experts. “Professionally, they are very good at
being wrong.“
The same problems, and defensive reactions, exist
in the organizations that consume the advice. At best, the outcome
takes the form of a short-lived fad; which undermines the credibility
of managers. Underpinning Argyris' argument is his earlier work.
Together with Donald Schön, Argyris originated two basic organizational
models or frameworks – which are central to the new book.
In Model 1 organizations, managers are prepared
to inflict change on others, to manipulate outcomes, but resist
any attempt to change their own thinking and working practices.
This model is the dominant model in all industrialized cultures.
These organizations are characterized by what Argyris and Schön
labeled “single-loop learning“ (when the detection and
correction of organizational error permits the organization to carry
on its present policies and achieve its current objectives). The
governing values in Model 1 organizations are: be in unilateral
control; win - do not lose; suppress negative feelings; and act
as rationally as possible.
In contrast, Model 2 organizations emphasize
“double-loop learning“ which Argyris and Schön described
as “when organizational error is detected and corrected in
ways that involve the modification of underlying norms, policies,
and objectives“. In Model 2 organizations, managers act on
information. They debate issues and respond to, and are prepared
to, change. They learn from others.
The root cause of the flawed advice, says Argyris,
is that it is derived from and applied to Model 1 thinking. He supports
his argument on his analysis of a number of well-known management
books and articles. Among them, Harvard colleague John Kotter's
Leading Change, Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Effective
People, and Real Change Leaders by Jon Katzenbach and
a team of McKinsey consultants. The verdict is less than flattering.
Take Seven Habits of Effective People published
in 1989 and still one of the most cited sources on personal leadership.
In the book, Covey advises that the first step to effectiveness
is to start with one's self. The advice is to develop trust; generate
positive energy; and avoid negative energy. These principles are
illustrated with a story of how he managed his son, after setting
him the task of clearing up the yard. Argyris exposes how Covey
suppresses his own negative feelings about his son's actions while
at the same time preaching honest communication. This is classic
Model 1 behavior. The aim is to achieve the desired outcomes with
minimal resistance. His conclusion: “Although Covey advises
people to act authentically, he himself does not do so.“
Argyris' observations are as sharp as ever.
The book provides a fascinating window into one of the great growth
industries of our times. But there is a darker side, too, to the
consulting and guru industry. Today, off-the-shelf advice is aimed
at a mass market. Solving all-known corporate ills is more lucrative
than addressing the real issues faced by a single company. Buyer
beware.
Flawed Advice and the Management Trap,
by Chris Argyris, is published by Oxford University Press, 2000.
Des Dearlove is co-author of Generation Entrepreneur.
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