Why is it that organisational ineffectiveness is so often ignored? I love Heffernan’s (2011) book wonderfully titled ‘Wilful Blindness; Why we ignore the obvious at our peril’
Heffernan argues that “the biggest threats and dangers we face are the ones we don't see, not because they're secret or invisible, but because we're wilfully blind”.
Like the ‘emperor with no clothes’ or the ‘elephant in the room’ everyone knows something is wrong. To maintain the status quo, however, they pretend or even make themselves believe that it is actually all right, and they do not speak about it.
On the flip side, a positive ripple effect can be achieved when programmes, processes and systems are developed, which actually work sustainably. They are effective because have been designed around understood need and dovetailed with existing infrastructure. The infection of this effectiveness spreads as it touches on other elements of the organisation and enables them because of the strong and scalable foundations that have been laid.
Heffernan argues that “the biggest threats and dangers we face are the ones we don't see, not because they're secret or invisible, but because we're wilfully blind”.
Like the ‘emperor with no clothes’ or the ‘elephant in the room’ everyone knows something is wrong. To maintain the status quo, however, they pretend or even make themselves believe that it is actually all right, and they do not speak about it.
On the flip side, a positive ripple effect can be achieved when programmes, processes and systems are developed, which actually work sustainably. They are effective because have been designed around understood need and dovetailed with existing infrastructure. The infection of this effectiveness spreads as it touches on other elements of the organisation and enables them because of the strong and scalable foundations that have been laid.