This is an interesting, unfortunate and completely pervasive problem. To wit: good things are brought to a dead halt because those perched at the top of the silos won't let go of what they have.
Behavioral Economics 101: People will fight to the death (metaphoric and in some cases literal) to preserve what they have, rather than placing their bets on something that requires them to give up their current 'holdings.' They won’t let go of what they now have, no matter how puny or doomed, in exchange for something with which they are not familiar but that holds the promise of far greater benefit for all.
This is exacerbated by the well-known psychological/behavioral impact of knowing your boss hates something or someone. Consciously or unconsciously, the high level conflict (of which the expression is deemed socially unacceptable at the 'top of the house’) gets deflected downwards, so that middle management - as well as the rank and file - ends up 'living the conflict'* all day, every day. Even if coworkers don't like each other - or even their mutual boss -, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" is the modus operandi. In this case, the 'enemy' is change that will disrupt the status quo.
Thus, resistance pervades each silo, resulting in total and complete gridlock. This is how companies and industries, by hanging for dear life unto that which worked for them in the past, seal their own sorry fates. Unfortunately, they bring lots of others down with them--people who, unlike the silo chieftains, do not have the resources to recover from the blow(s).
* Often, "middle management" ends up taking the rap for resistance at the top. How many times have you heard senior executives complaining about "their" lack of creativity, resistance to change, etc? My humble wish is that instead, said chieftains heed the immortal words of Walt Kelly/Pogo, and spend a few minutes every day looking in the mirror while repeating (out loud): "We have met the enemy and he is us." Or, more grammatically, “I have met the enemy and s/he is me.” Come to think of it, a lot of people could probably benefit from this practice, but that is another topic for another day.
Cheers, Sara |
