The 3 biggest flaws in management thinking

Decisions made in many organisations are very often based on what we wish were true rather than what we know to be true.

That's the finding of the excellent Hard Facts, Dangerous Half Truths & Total Nonsense (HBS Press, 2006) in which the authors describe the disruption we have all experienced from management "fads", and the mistaken thinking that usually underlies them.

Which of these management thinking traps do you recognise?

1. Copycat strategies - mimicking what successful companies seem to be doing without fully understanding why it works for them

2. 'Party piece' initiatives - implementing processes or systems on the basis of "it worked a treat in my last company so I'll do it again here"

3. Received wisdom - making decisions based on deeply-held (unproven and unchallenged) beliefs about what improves performance

What can you do to get better decisions that are right for your business? Some simple thinking disciplines are a good starting point...

1. Dig deeper to uncover the assumptions that you or others are making about either the organisation, the issue or the solution

2. Insist on localised trials before rolling out promising ideas across the business. Encourage people to experiment, but minimize the risk to the business by starting small.

3. Demand measurable evidence of the impact of any initiative within your organisation before giving the green light to new initiatives

Simple enough, but these checks make sure that the only ideas that get implemented are the ones that really cut the mustard