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The desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world

16/9/2015

3 Comments

 
“A desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world.” For me, that sentence, written by John Le Carré, instantly conjured up bureaucrats sitting comfortably in their offices deciding the fate of powerless people. But it also evoked other common habits – managers issuing instructions in emails that won’t engage people, researchers writing reports that will never be read properly, or people creating strategic plans that will never be followed.

There are several problems with these habits, not least of which is the implementation challenge. People may not read the written word (and in my experience, many people are reluctant to follow written instructions); those who are meant to implement the plan may be less rational than the author assumes; and by the time the plan has been completed, the environment will probably have changed.

Of course it is often vital to express ideas in writing to help others understand what we are trying to achieve. And the act of writing can help produce greater clarity, at least for the authors. But having produced a document, the risk lies in thinking that the job has been done, when in fact the work of making a difference has only just begun. This is the moment when we need to get away from our desk – or the boardroom table – and talk to people.

So why do some managers continue to spend so much time at their desks? Why do they remain detached from people on the ground? I suspect that for many the thought of a conversation with anybody other than a few trusted colleagues can seem quite scary. I have been there myself. When I worked for McKinsey as a communications specialist (a kind of writing coach and editor) in the late 1980s, one of my challenges was to convince the busy and brainy consultants about the benefits of working with me (it was optional for them). Sometimes I really had to steel myself to walk up to a table of consultants at lunchtime, seat myself down next to them and open a conversation. 

Conversations with strangers may take both confidence and courage. We never know how others will respond or how the conversation will unfold. That uncertainty can be exciting but it can also be uncomfortable. Sometimes it feels so much easier to put down our thoughts in writing and then just send them off. So let’s keep reminding ourselves that the desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world.

Related reading

Zaid Hassan, ‘The Social Labs Revolution: a new approach to solving our most complex challenges’ (which is where I came across the quote from John Le Carré).

Henry Mintzberg, ‘The Rise and Fall of Strategic Planning’ (also quoted by Hassan). See also @Mintzberg141 on Twitter.
3 Comments
karim khelifi
3/10/2015 03:27:22 pm

interesting thoughts Alison: Why? because organisations almost always benefit from consultation -formal and informal- before implementing change. Yet organisations are often "power" and social structures where egos, social class, lack of self-confidence is often masked as arrogance. Successful CEOs spend time listening at observing foot soldiers. Get out of your "ivory tower".

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Alison Donaldson link
6/10/2015 10:12:51 pm

Thanks for taking the trouble to comment, Karim. I'll try to respond briefly. The word 'consultation' somehow feels quite impersonal, don't you think? And yes, absolutely, power and egos are a ubiquitous feature of human life. When I did my doctorate, I was introduced to the thinking of Norbert Elias on power - one central idea being that it is our interdependence that constrains us. We can't just say or do whatever we want. We are constrained by the need to stay in relationship. I found this very helpful. But of course there is a lot more to say about power! Definitely worth another blog post. Power and writing would interest me greatly as one aspect of the larger topic.

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http://proofreading-services.org/proofreader.php link
26/4/2016 10:36:57 am

Your thoughts are very original; many thanks for sharing! You are right when saying that sometimes it feels definitely so much easier to put down our thoughts in writing... But this happens not every time we write!

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