Comments on: Cargo Cult Management

By: Clyde Smith

Clyde Smith — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 16:19:08 +0000

"What if aerospace engineers employed a similar analytical approach, that of looking at historic data and use induction to find the answers in patterns gleaned from the data?"

Different objects of study require different research methodologies.

I'm not saying that Collins' work can't be critiqued, though I got some good bits out of it, but I am saying comparing research methods from different fields trying to accomplish different things doesn't really prove what you're wanting it to prove.

By: Becky

Becky — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 08:22:38 +0000

By reading Jack Bergstrand's latest book, "Reinvent Your Enterprise:Through Better Knowledge Work" I was able to learn skills that helped me achieve personal goals better and faster systematically improving knowledge work productivity of my employees. It has made a world of difference to my company so far.

By: VandeNikhilam USA » Cargo Cult Management

VandeNikhilam USA » Cargo Cult Management — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 04:47:53 +0000

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By: renaissance chambara alias Ged Carroll - Links of the day

renaissance chambara alias Ged Carroll - Links of the day — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:02:47 +0000

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By: Jason Lackey

Jason Lackey — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:39:57 +0000

Times are tough, sure could use a couple airlifted pallets of spam, .45s and Coca Cola.

By: MS

MS — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:32:01 +0000

Collins seems to praise (and thus advocate) ideas like the ‘hedgehog’ concept : focus on the one big thing. Say, what if a company has been unsuccessful in one thing ? It would tend to thrash around looking for better ideas, and ultimately may come out well. But Collins’ methodology would rate this company as ‘not exceptional’ since it wouldn’t have been focusing on the same thing all the time. Follow Collins on this one, and you would definitely be confusing cause and effect.

By: Nigel D

Nigel D — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:33:16 +0000

Coincidentally I've recently been reading about cargo cults in Dawkins "The God Delusion".

It strikes me that the business/management consultant is maybe a better example than the corporate manager. The man with the magic cargo of PPT and finely bound wisdom is parachuted in from nowhere, and from nowhere he produces more and more elaborate PPT and more and more finely bound tomes. And no surprise, even after he has gone, everyone is worshipping at the shrine of "Crossing the Chasm" (or whatever) and lo and behold every manager down every line is including it in his own PPT. Then those managers meet other managers from other organisations who are worshipping at the same shrine, and pretty soon we have not just a cult but a(nother) fully blown religion!

By: swag

swag — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 07:07:57 +0000

You lost me, Speiser. Among "Good to Great"'s many great flaws, one was that the book offered no real advice on what readers should do to become one of those companies. The author even admitted it.

So how you managed to find "how any manager could take a company from good to great" is beyond me. That is a bigger mystery. At least if you actually read the book, as you claim.

By: BlogReader

BlogReader — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 06:28:43 +0000

Also the problem with those business books is the Halo effect: what the good company did that the bad company didn’t is automatically good (and vice versa). So is it guaranteed that if you do the same thing you’ll be successful? Guaranteed is too strong, but is it better than even odds that you will? Maybe. Maybe not.

By: Jacob Rothstein

Jacob Rothstein — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 04:42:41 +0000

It is precisely the problems you speak of that motivated me to build http://www.stormweight.com, a neutral space where employees can anonymously rank (vote for) internal ideas and innovations. It is my best effort at approaching the problem of intellectual rigor and honesty as a technology need. Do other readers have ideas on ways that technology could facilitate cultural shift in the direction Feynman and Mike envision?

By: Mike Speiser

Mike Speiser — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 21:20:35 +0000

Okay Arvind. You’ve exposed a grade school failure of mine ;–)

Will do some work on filling that gap — http://www.dailywritingtips.com/the-difference-between-eg-and-ie/

In all seriousness, thanks for the nice comment and for the constructive one.

By: Mike Speiser

Mike Speiser — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 21:18:30 +0000

Thanks. Will check it out. I think Feynman’s application of Cargo Cults to science is just the start of it…

By: Mike Speiser

Mike Speiser — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 21:16:53 +0000

Ha. Someone should write Cargo Cult Investing or the like. I have the Halo Effect on the bookshelf and need to get to it. Also, check out this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Historians-Fallacies-Toward-Historical-Thought/dp/0061315451

By: Mike Speiser

Mike Speiser — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 21:14:46 +0000

Love Feynman. Another favorite is his “what is science” talk.

http://www.fotuva.org/feynman/what_is_science.html

By: Mike Speiser

Mike Speiser — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 21:13:55 +0000

You bet. Thanks for reading and taking the time to leave a comment.

By: Mike Speiser

Mike Speiser — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 21:13:29 +0000

Well said. Thanks.