Is it for clarity?
Are we afraid that if we
don’t add rules and explanations to ideas that others won’t know what to do?
Is it for control?
Do we feel that it’s better
WE add constraints, and tell others what to do, rather than let them figure it
out themselves? People might not make
the decisions we want them to make!
Is it for protection?
Do we add complications
and assumptions to make sure we’re “covered” if things don’t turn out as expected?
As the quantity of
information available to us increases at an exponential rate, aren’t we all
better served by reducing complications in decision-making processes and
management practices?
Aren’t we better served by
creating leaders? By gradually allowing people
to fill in the blanks, learn from their mistakes, and adjust their
approach?
Or do we WANT to develop
people who wait for us to tell them what to do?
Picture: Rube Goldberg™ & © of Rube Goldberg, Inc.
Often we overcomplicate things to make ourselves seem more important than we are to impress others. A perfect example is a presentation that could be done in 5 slides but is done using 25 slides. I had a boss that liked to do that and it created extra work, wasted management’s time.