Minimum Design

I marked a passage in Images of Organizations by Gareth Morgan (2006) on page 111 that stated: "The principle of minimum design suggests that managers should define no more than necessary to launch a particular initiative or activity on its way. They have to avoid the role of "grand designer." 

The idea of Grand Designer is interesting, but then there there is more to organizations than just having a leader with a vision and design. Organizations need variety. Another passage I marked in Morgan (2006) on page 108 discusses "internal diversity" and "requisite variety" and the fact that these must match the diversity and variety of the systems and cultures the organization services. 

Finally, on page 111 again Morgan (2006) states "the challenge is to avoid the anarchy and the completely free flow that arises when there are no parameters or guidelines, on the one hand, and over-centralization, on the other." 

I have dealt with this in organizations in the past. In my last position we had two departments, one that was highly standardized and managed, one that was looser and less regulated. These two departments were usually at odds and their leadership too is at odds. Together the two had to inhabit the same organization and work toward common goals, and thankfully everyone was professional enough to do so. 

However there was tension between the two groups. Many found this tension hard to work with, but I find that the tension and the conflict helped find new ways to find paths through the challenges we faced. There was no one way to overcome and navigate challenges and by having a variety of options and types of management we were able to find the most effective path for success. 

It's great to have a vision and a design, but leaders must also be open and flexible enough to allow new things to bubble up and react to them appropriate. A hard and fast "grand design" doesn't allow for this creativity and it's a good leader is one who can allow for that, promote it, and use it to positive outcomes.

References

Morgan, G. (2006). Images of organizations (updated edition). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.