Unfortunately, we have managers who have never done the work or understand the work making decisions about the work using data with no context.

You are right, if they can’t be with the work all the time, how will they make decisions? A report is no substitute for knowledge. These managers should understand that decision-making is better-off with the work and maybe they should stay out of it. BP probably wishes they had.

I don’t like copying so the analogy was the vast divide not what big companies do. This is how big companies become like Rome and fall apart unless of course they are too big to fail.

Well there’s one kind of extremism and then there’s another. I agree that data without context is inappropriate, but lack of data, or incomplete data surely leads to poor decisions.

The existence of the SuperWalmart stores you mentioned, and the success of Walmart in general, is due to their organization alignment around data, and the flow of information from stores through the organization and to suppliers. Would the CEO of Walmart be able to manage his multi-billion dollar organization solely through anecdotal reports from Joe store clerk?

Managers should spend time on the front lines. But it’s unrealistic for executives to visit every operation in the company every day. If the did visit a few, it would be undoubtedly useful, but could not represent a complete picture of the business. As such, knowledge gained through on-site visits and departmental visits should become just one part of a complete picture provided by personal experience, aggregated data, and contextual reports by managers and subject matter experts.

Visit http://bibuilders.com/blogs/?p=203 for my full response.

-IainR

Interpretation can not replace knowledge. Executives need context by going to the work.