General Advice Is Generally Not Applicable in Social Systems Such As Management
One of the true qualities of techno-mechno-social thinkers or Systems Thinkers is that they generally evaluate the merits of a policy, advice, or idea within the context of the given system. They don’t just willy-nilly share general advice because they know it might be applicable to a few but not to all.
Many people for whom the advice isn’t applicable might end up using it where it won’t work, wasting time and energy—or worse, it could backfire. Even worse, people might fail to realize that general advice is the root cause of their failures. Just look at LinkedIn—it's full of general advice, often shared by very educated people. The supply exists because there’s a perceived demand, and many educated people fall for it. While some of us are sick and tired of general advice, we still need advice—and often, we fall back on the same general advice.
It’s understandable when uneducated people seek general advice, but it’s harder to comprehend when highly scientifically educated technologists and managers do the same. Why does this happen? My explanation lies in how these scientifically educated technologists and managers think. They often operate within the framework of hard science methodologies and take pride in them.
One tendency in hard sciences is to focus on general theories and principles, like General Gravitational Theory or General Relativity. Hard sciences rightfully seek and cherish general theories because they explain everything within their domain, which is non-living in nature. But this approach doesn’t apply to living systems, including social systems—and corporations are essentially social systems.
This hard science mindset, constantly seeking general theories, is one of the root causes of why even the best-intentioned managers end up creating systems where they and others suffer. Remember, even hard scientists collectively agreed not to classify fields like economics, sociology, and management as " non-science" because their methods don’t align with the rigor of hard sciences.
But what choice do scientifically educated people have? They rely on the tools and methods they know. No wonder someone once said, “Hard sciences solve soft problems, and soft sciences solve hard problems.” Soft sciences exist—they’re out there—but most hard science-trained managers aren’t seeking them. Why? Because we only seek solutions when we perceive a problem. If we believe there’s no problem with our thinking, there’s no need to seek new ways of thinking.
Recognizing the value of soft sciences and learning to use them starts with realizing the limitations of hard sciences in solving complex social problems. Interested in learning limitations of hard science and power of soft science , sign up for waitlist for my free workshop. Link in comments.
Attached paper by Master Systems Tinker Russel Ackoff on how consultants misdirect management using general advice.
