On Hierachy & Lack of Creative Thinking
This past week, I had the pleasure of conducting training with an institution known for its rank of order and chain of command.
The meeting was attended by the very senior leadership of that hierarchy, senior leadership, and then a majority was attended by the middle tier of the hierarchy.
Firstly, I was pleasantly surprised by how intelligent these individuals were. They were sharp, they were focused, they were diligent. This is not something I experience in today’s fuddled thinking processes, riddled with smartphone use and attention spans of a goldfish hence all of this was a breath of fresh air.
However, there was one observation I made which I want to document here. This institution is renowned for it’s strong hierarchy and top down decision making. What this meant for our discussions was that while I could see that the junior officers in the room had a lot to share and say, they felt that they could only say so much because of the rigidity of the system. Secondly, opinions were not equal, it mattered what source the opinion came from, and even if that area was not the area of expertise of the senior person their word prevailed.
This sort of order and structure is well served in critical, time sensitive situations, however, for everyday life matters, you usually have more time to deliberate and by functioning under this strict chain of commands we stifle productivity, critical thinking, and creativity.
From this experience, we should have two sorts of ways of governance. For critical times, one could revert to strict hierarchies and top-down decision-making processes but during normal/safe times it’s okay to let loose and have a different style of governance where it's okay to differ, challenge, and debate.
The question that arises for me from this experience is whether one team or one institution can have two different forms of governance at two different times. Would it trickle down well enough or uniformly or would it lead to confusion and insubordination during times of urgency? My hunch is that it would be difficult if not impossible to expect such flexibility from the same institution but I will let that thought be parked for now.
I am very glad that I work in an institution where I could put forward my thoughts and perspectives openly and the senior leadership in my team is open to listening and acknowledging where it is required. I would have disliked working in an organization where I am not allowed to exercise my creativity and express my thoughts, particularly in areas where I feel I am competent. This is something for individuals to ponder about and identify about their personalities for their well-being.
Over and out!
