Abstract
The document writes an individual essay on the following case:
"In a workshop with about twenty personnel managers who worked for a large municipality, a discussion on the fact that members of the HRM profession often felt they were not appreciated and had a low level of status and influence in their organizations was held. The participants of the workshop wanted to do more work with strategy and less with service. However, people from other departments wanted the opposite from HRM professionals: less strategy and more service. One person in the group suddenly felt that she should give the others some feedback. She had once worked in HRM but had recently shifted to a position as a unit manager. This led her to realize the sheer amount of steering documents that existed, which all units were supposed to consult and follow. It was a shocking experience: 'Friends,' she told the group, 'you don't know how many documents we have developed and we are supposed to relate to in our work. We must change the way we work.' 8The audience did not respond to this provocation. They all put on their poker faces, signaling that such strange comments were best passed over unnoticed. At the end of the workshop, we brought up this topic again and urged the audience to take the feedback seriously. Perhaps they could elect some of their number to explore reducing obstructive HRM bureaucracy. Given the negative reputation of the HRM function, this appeared to be an ideal opportunity to take an initiative. The response? Total silence. We are frequently told that we live in post-bureaucratic times. It is common to hear that organizations are not run by hierarchies, rules and regulations any more, but by vision, leadership, organizational cultures and networks. But if you take a careful look at any organization, bureaucracy is as strong as it ever has been."
Extract
[...] https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2012.01072.x Aczél, B., Palfi, B., Szollosi, A., & Kekecs, Z. (2015). What is stupid? People's conception of unintelligent behavior. Elseveir. Scodanibbio, C. (2012). Stupidity: A Major Obstacle to Lean Management. Retrieved from http://www.scodanibbio.com Mella, P. [...]
[...] Thus, behaviors fall into four categories: the wise man who wins for both him and others, the bandit who wins at others' expense, the foolish man who loses for himself but still benefits others, and finally the stupid person who loses both for himself and others. In the organizational context, Scodanibbio explains that stupidity is not an isolated phenomenon. When it combines with other factors such as ignorance, fear, and habit, it multiplies and becomes collective, thereby exponentially amplifying losses. Systemic stupidity is particularly dangerous because it is difficult to detect it is often confused with simple mistakes or excused by "standard" procedures. [...]
[...] In organizations, routine behaviors and mechanical adherence to procedures insidiously push many employees toward this zone of stupidity. Even if their intentions are neutral or loyal, the outcome of their actions is harmful: there is neither personal benefit nor collective benefit. The more an organization relies on automatic execution without critical thinking, the more it risks multiplying these behaviors that fall into the quadrant of stupidity. In the face of this routinized negligence, Scodanibbio (2012) notes the importance of proper application of control levers. [...]
[...] Stupid individuals act by following outdated, inappropriate, or purely instinctual patterns without reassessing their consequences (Mella, 2017). Cipolla's "Stupid people" quadrant is particularly illustrative: individuals who simultaneously create losses for themselves and others because they are locked into behaviors that no longer serve rational or adaptive purposes (Mella, 2017). Alvesson and Spicer (2012) explain that many organizational processes rely heavily on routines that promote cognitive efficiency by enabling individuals to perform tasks without excessive thought. These routines are based on learned cognitive scripts, which allow for quick, habitual responses to recurring situations. [...]
[...] (2017). Intelligence and stupidity-The educational power of Cipolla's test and of the "social wheel." Scientific Research Publishing. [...]
