Kim Boal quoted one of her articles, reflecting the responses of others to
Emil Zahner's original posting:
"However, as noted earlier, rational models at the organizational level appear
to work well for problems that can be defined, structured, and solved through
obtaining and or developing additional information and applying the
appropriate analytic techniques.... Many problems facing health care (or many
other organizations for that matter, (her additional insert) seem to us to be
"wicked' in nature.
Source: Blair, J. D., and Boal, K. B. (1991). Strategy formation processes
in health care organizations: A context-specific examination of context-free
strategy issues. Journal of Management, 17: 305-344."
Personally, I agree.
Still, there is no need for despair just because an 'ideal' solution may not
be within reach. To quote from something I have written, (since I cannot step
away from my previous work and others do the same, I presume it is OK to do
so) I believe that there is a systematic process that is based first on
definition of useful alternatives, selection of the one that appears best, and
then subjecting that altertnative to three questions with many layers of
meaning. For both, the selection of the alternatives and the responses to the
three questions, when other people are available who can be involved, even if
they are not members of the same organization, there should be 'appropriate'
involvement by those who are technically as competent as are available, and
those who are representative, or at least knowledgeable of the likely reaction
of ALL stakeholders. Together these people can modify the alternative
initially selected as 'best', to make it the very best currently available
'solution'.
The three questions are:
1. Does the preferred alternative include features that will ensure that we
all know what to do during changing circumstances and will we be able to
recognize when we are straying from the path that will 'get us there'? (Are
we in Control?)
2. Do we all (all stakeholders) have the competence to do hold up our end?
(Do we have the Competence?)
3. What else needs to be done so that all stakeholders are either satisfied,
or not so dissatisfied that they will create obstacles? (Do we have the
Climate for success?)
These, to me, are the 3Cs of management/leadership decisions. If they can be
made to become habits, and I believe there are ways to achieve that, then the
best currently available solutions will be found to every problem.
For a reader-friendly and thorough discussion of the many layers of meaning
behind these three questions, please see High Quality Leadership: Practical
Guidelines to Becoming a More Effective Manager, by John Washbush and me.
Quality Press, 1998. Free workshop materials are available (from me) to all
those who purchase a book, either from Quality Press, from a bookstore, or
from Didactic Systems.
Erwin
Erwin Rausch;
didacticra@aol.com; Tel: 908-789-2194; Fax:908-789-0038;
Didactic Systems, P.O. Box 457, Cranford, NJ 07016