the FACT of the matter: theories rule

I had a new lens opened the other day. And it proved that open-mindedness is necessary. In Gospel terms, we all that: humility. In relationship terms, we might call that: Seeking to understand the other person's point of view. In science terms, a theory is the way we explain the reason behind events, but we call it theory until we can prove that it is 100% right.

In class, we learned that "theories" are ways of looking at things, events, and people. In other words, a theory is a lens that provides practical ways of looking at something.

In reality, theories help us understand the world, people and things in it.

*** But...before I get to far, let me quickly explain that empirical truth (what we perceive in the world) must always give way to Eternal Truth (truth with a capital "T"), such as who are we? Where do we come from? And what is the purpose of life?" ***

Metaphors, like theories, help us understand ideas and concepts, too.

So we've begun talking about theories of organization. We use metaphors to help us see how companies run.

We talked today about Classical Theory. Classical Theory looks at an organization as a machine. It all began when Frederick the Great thought his army tried to apply mechanical characteristics to his army.

He thought an army should be powerful, efficient and exactly obedient to the one in charge. Do you see his connection to machinery now?

He drilled unquestioning obedience into his men, dividing them in groups and giving each one a different job. His spear-throwers perfected their spear throwing, and his archers perfected their art. The archers couldn't throw spears, and they never would. That wasn't part of the machine.

Enter replaceable parts: If an archer was killed, there was always another to take his place. The soldiers' lives revolved around their one task. Their army rocked. Morale was not high, but he ruled out of fear, leaving a clearly organized chain of command. No one made decisions except that man on top.

Kind of stifling, don't you think? Maybe it's not your organizational strategy of choice.

Fast food is an example of that machine. It's predictable, efficient, and you don't pay too much to get a meal. Of course, there's also lack of creativity and poor morale. (When was the last time you ever had a root beer float at Mickey Dee's? They don't have a button on the cash register for that.)

Looking at it further: the assembly line includes the burger flipper, bun preparer, milk shake maker, fry fryer, etc. It's a well-greased (excuse the pun) machine.

So I guess classical theory isn't that bad. It's got its advantages, too. It's establishes a clear-set chain of command, efficient use of resources, and urges perfection of skills and talents. It promotes uniformity and goals. But it stifles creativity, agency, and one's ability to think and act for him/herself.

Then there's Humanistic Theory: Employees (people) come first.

It's based off the Hawthorne Principle: When employees are observed, their productivity increases.

Google might say: happy people are productive people.

Humanistic Theory says that people need to know what is expected of them, but they also need to be motivated to go above and beyond the baseline expectations of their job. humanistic theory encourages people to think and act and actually enjoy their job.

Here's a great example: some kid in the mail room of a freight company found a new way to decrease company expenditures. Applied to the whole company, it saved more than $9 million that year. Not bad, eh?

This is my favorite part: the executives decided to give the kid 10% That's almost $1 million for one simple idea. But the company could afford that. After all, they weren't losing anything by paying him. They still had 90% of their savings.

And here's where the genius steps in. What do you think the people in that company are going to do now? Well, I bet they'll probably try to find some easy way to earn $1 million by doing their job everyday. Productivity in that company is on the rise.

Humanistic theory, in all reality, is about seeing people as people and treating them as the valuable individuals that they are. It's about encouraging creativity. It's what makes companies so successful, because those in the trenches give their ideas and perspectives and help the company earn more money than ever before.

But it is sure going to be hard when that boss who is a great friend has to chastise an employee or when playing at work takes over one's commitment to performing the job.

Both are good theories.

Both can be explained by Gospel principles, like loving your neighbor as yourself, about treating them as valuable individuals by knowing their names, important facts about them like birthdays or other events in their life. Yet, at the same time, it's about being organized, efficiently using your time and perfecting your talents to serve others as we go about our time on earth.

So which theory do you tend to prefer? Is there one you tend to live more than another? Or is there one you find better? Which theory seems to work better in the world? And which one would you use if you could describe your dream organization? I want to hear your thoughts.

**We can't focus too closely. We have to be open minded.