I just read a ChangeThis manifesto called Slow Leadership: Creating
Civilized Organizations by Adrian
Savage.
Adrian describes how organizations have manufactured an
unsustainable sense of urgency and level of stress in the work place as a
result of a fixation on next quarter’s results.
He describes the “brute
force approach to productivity” where “leadership” chooses to “Cut staff, ration resources, and force those
who are left to work longer hours, with higher output, for the same amount of
pay… Create an atmosphere of constant fear…Create a continual state of
competition…Focus on the shortest of short-term objectives to keep up the
pressure…”
“Business in a civilized
country cannot be based on making money regardless of anything else; that is
the attitude of gangsters and mob bosses.”
“Stressed and fearful
people will sacrifice much to survive…Creativity is an early casualty, since
any kind of creative thinking takes time and is ruined by anxiety and
stress. Next goes patience…to be patient
becomes an unattainable luxury…
There’s no time to learn
or reflect, so people rely on rules of thumb and quick fixes to get them
through, endlessly repeating the same mistakes until some catastrophe forces
them to take notice.
There’s no time to be
open-minded or appreciate the first signs of new opportunity. Nor is there enough space for appreciation,
respect, or support of colleagues.”
His prescription for
bringing civility back to the work place is slow
leadership. He’s not proposing taking it easy. He’s proposing that leaders take the time
needed to make rational decisions.
I’d be interested in your
impressions of Adrian’s manifesto.
his description of the situation and its causes, I’m not sure slow leadership
is enough to fix the problem.
PS: One of my favorite
consultants/bloggers/authors, David
Maister, has a new manifesto out as well. It’s called Accountability:
Effective Managers Go First. I
can’t wait to read it.