Why Don't Managers Think Deeply? — HBS Working Knowledge - The Diigo Meta page

• 15 Jun 12
  

  Andrei Rinea

  analysis thinking management

• 06 Jan 09
  

  borja garcia

  harvard

• 29 Sep 08
  

  Jorge Barba

  management learning leadership innovation creativity business knowledge hbs harvard organization

• 23 Sep 08
  

  Luis Alberola

  deep thinking talent management

  • They claim that just seven deep metaphors—balance (equilibrium), transformation (changing states or status), journey (as in life), container (keeping things in and keeping things out), connection (feelings of belonging or exclusion), resource (providing survival), and control—describe 70 percent of our inner feelings
• 14 Jul 08
  

  Vahid Masrour

  interesing...

  organizational thinking process

• 

  Mark Dykeman

  management leadership business learning innovation creativity knowledge organization

• 

  Asako Yoshida

  managers

• 

  Robyn Jay

  A since deceased, highly-regarded fellow faculty member, Anthony (Tony) Athos, occasionally sat on a bench on a nice day at the Harvard Business School, apparently staring off into space. When asked what he was doing, ever the iconoclast, he would say, "Nothing." His colleagues, trained to admire and teach action, would walk away shaking their heads and asking each other, "Is he alright?" It is perhaps no coincidence that Tony often came up with some of the most profound insights at faculty meetings and informal gatherings.
  
  This story captures much of the sense of the responses to this month's question about why managers don't think deeply. The list of causes was much longer than the list of proposed responses. But in the process, some other questions were posed.
  
  Ben Kirk kicked off the list of reasons for the phenomenon when he commented, "… what rises to the top levels are very productive and very diligent individuals who tend not to … reflect and are extremely efficient at deploying other people's ideas," implying that this type of leader is not likely to understand, encourage, or recognize deep thinking in others.
  
  Adnan Younis added the possibility that "… managers are not trained for it." Dianne Jacobs cited the possibility that persisting assumptions borne out of success serve as "roadblocks to act on needed change" (proposed by those who engage in deep thinking?).
  
  Ulysses U. Pardey, whose comment triggered my recollection of Tony Athos, wrote that "Time-for-thinking is a special moment which can be resource consuming and an unsafe activity …" (Fortunately, Athos held a tenured position in an academic organization.)
  
  A number of comments alluded to the triumph of bureaucracies and large organizations over deep thinking. As Lorre Zuppan said, "I think Jeff Immelt's efforts to protect deep thinking reflect a nice sentiment but … If his team could carry the ball, would he need to announce that he's protecting it?" Tom Henkel was more succinct: "There's a name for managers who think deeply—entrepreneurs … B

  management change critical_thinking

• 12 Jul 08
  

  Beth Ritter-Guth
• 11 Jul 08
  

  Eloise Pasteur

  Series of insightful comments on deep thinking in a business setting, with many more comments added to the entry that are well worth reading too.

  Deep thinking business comment analysis

  • "… what rises to the top levels are very productive and very diligent individuals who tend not to … reflect and are extremely efficient at deploying other people's ideas," implying that this type of leader is not likely to understand, encourage, or recognize deep thinking in others.
  • the possibility that persisting assumptions borne out of success serve as "roadblocks to act on needed change"
  • "Time-for-thinking is a special moment which can be resource consuming and an unsafe activity …"
  • "There's a name for managers who think deeply—entrepreneurs … Big companies are no place for big thinkers."
  • "I think creatively better out of the office, say while out in the boat or at a conference, so that looks very much like not working!!"
  • organizations might "understand who their deep thinkers are and then make absolutely certain that they're in a position to take advantage of their rather unique capabilities."
  • "it (deep thinking) needs to be learned." This raises the question of whether it can be taught.

  5 more annotations...

• 01 Jul 08
  

  Andrew Gilmartin

  to-read planning

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  Erich Feldmeier

  "what rises to the top levels: productive & diligent individ. who tend not to reflect and are extremely efficient at deploying other people's ideas" implying this type of leader is not likely to understand, encourage or recognize deep thinking in others.

  leadership personality philosophy knowledge evolution organization groupthink lateralthinking excellent

• 24 Jun 08
  

  michelemmartin

  balance (equilibrium), transformation (changing states ), journey ( life), container (keeping things in and keeping things out), connection (feelings of belonging or exclusion), resource (providing survival), and control describe 70 % of inner feelings.

  creativity business leadership mental_models blogthis

• 23 Jun 08
  

  Christine Martell

  article about Zaltman work, Marketing Metaphoria

  metaphors Zaltman

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