Journal: People Science - Human Capital Management & Leadership in the public sector Volume 1, Issue 2 Spring/Summer 2014 | Page 23

was in the news criticizing the President’s credentials. It
was ironic but I conveyed that information to the White
House and everyone understood it had been a legitimate
and proper decision. That’s an example of information
being legitimately blocked from leaders as a result of
structure and regulation.

MJ: Good leaders will appreciate that a complex problem
requires multiple responses. That is how I treat the
problem of leading in the dark. There is no silver bullet but
there are a number of strategies. Let me sort through three
of them: Transparency, flexibility, and measures.

First of all, transparency. Frankly, transparency is an
important organizational value that has not always been
valued. Back in the 1800’s, during the time of massive
immigration into the United States, there was a concern
MJ: Yep. Culture is a major factor in information flow.
on the part of industrial leaders around labor organizing.
Think of organizations that have cultures of retribution.
As a result, the workers in factories were often deliberately
Their internal norms effectively encourage people to hold
assigned so that people weren’t working next to others
information, not because of disloyalty but because they
who spoke the same language. If communications were
want to cover themselves.
limited, the thinking went, workers
“ I’ll be here when you’re gone, and so I’m not
couldn’t discuss their problems
Or, in another example, there
going to take the time to inform you.”
and consider unionizing.
is the attitude on the part of
the permanent career staff in
That is almost exactly the
government about briefing their
opposite of what we’re facing now. At that time there were
leadership. It goes like this: “I’ll be here when you’re gone,
decisions and strategies to hamper the flow of information.
and so I’m not going to take the time to inform you.” In
Now information flows all over the place. We are in a world
their defense, many political people only stay for a year
where transparency is much more possible. Organizations
or two, and it is a genuine burden on the organization to
are flatter and technology is a good catalyst. Information
bring each new person fully on board. But, nevertheless,
that used to be sent up and down the reporting hierarchy
the culture is not entirely about being forthcoming.
is now online, posted to the website, and available for
everyone to see.
PS: The list of things that block information is long.
PS: Structure and regulation are visible and proscribed
obstacles. I suspect there are others, less visible.

MJ: It certainly is. And, it is never complete without looking
at IT, which both helps and actually hinders a leader
trying to get out of the dark. Grant