Risk Is Often Presented As A Justification For Command And Control

Among the primary reasons advanced for command and control cultures is risk management – that is, how does a group best prevent bad things from happening while doing it best to accomplish its mission? Perhaps the most notorious command and control entity was the Soviet Politboro which famously created the Soviet Five-Year Plan for Agriculture […]

Do You Ever Treat Yourself Harshly In Service Of A Large Goal?

Among the most resonant pieces of advice that I ever received from one of my mentors was never to treat my body as if it were a horse that I was whipping to go longer and faster (not that I would ever literally do that). Her point was that we have often pushed our bodies […]

Command And Control Often Shows Up In Personal Relationships As Well As Business

Edward Deming, the famed management consultant credited with engineering post-war Japan’s economic recovery, believed that organizations are holographic of their leaders. He said that companies – and all kinds of human groups – emulate and embody the values of their leadership. People within command and control cultures also often model the same kinds of dominating […]

Drucker On Command And Control Organizations

Peter Drucker for several decades was the nation’s pre-eminent business educator and author.  He wrote over 38 books, and his insights are seering . . . and legendary.  Consider this classic Drucker: “Increasingly, command and control is being replaced by or intermixed with all kinds of relationships: alliances, joint ventures, minority participations, partnerships, know-how, and […]

Command And Control Work Cultures Are Problematic In Business

One of my longtime clients changed jobs recently where she is confronted with a new boss who is autocratic, aloof, and completely focused on being the boss no matter what. There’s no room for intelligent conversation to discuss the merits of situations – just, “I am the boss and that’s the way it is.” Sadly, […]