I never learned whether that particular organizational fad stood up to enquiry and observation over time, but I always found it plausible (as well as the Dilbert extension where "we just find incompetent people and sent them straight to management"). When people in in over their heads, they act increasingly irrationally.
One of the common things is to identify some less-important competency and begin to insist that it is the most important part of the job. It's a marker, actually. When someone is insisting on unimportant stuff, it's a sign they are dimly aware they are in over their head.
Yeah, we're living that right now.
And it's really hard trying to beat some sense into them.
ReplyDeleteI laughed out loud at that.
ReplyDeleteOne of the big problems with decision-making under stress: we tend to do more of what we're good at and comfortable with, rather than what we should to do in the circumstances.
ReplyDelete