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I recently read Creating Hardworking Idiots.

At first blush you might be inclined to accuse the author of oversimplifying what happens in a business organization, but note that he does not blame the people themselves- just the system. We are products of our environment, after all.

The dumbing down of organizations isn’t caused by poor educational standards or faulty recruitment. It’s due mostly to the crazy pace that is set, and the obsessive focus on the most obvious, rigidly short-term objectives. The result is a sharp increase in hardworking idiots: people who are coerced into long hours and constant busyness, while being systematically forced to act like idiots by the culture around them. Don’t ask questions. Don’t cause problems by thinking, or waste time on coming up with new ideas. Don’t think about the future, or try to anticipate problems before they arise. Just keep at it, do exactly what is expected of you, and always get the most done in the least amount of time and at the lowest cost. If von Manstein is correct, the result will be that more and more employees will be used to perform essentially pointless tasks. Isn’t that exactly what we see?

Past experience leads me to believe bad management cannot identify the Lazy and Stupid from the Lazy and Clever; nor can they discern the Hardworking Clever from the Hardworking Idiots. To keep from appearing incompetent, most bad managers bet on the Hardworking; whether they are Clever or Idiots, it doesn’t matter. All laziness is then banished, by firing or pressuring the Lazy types to work more.

Here, the Lazy and Stupid are fired; the Lazy and Clever get hired by companies that recognize their talents before they get fired. It certainly explains why there is so much resistance to change in this office. A high value has always been placed on working hard; working smarter naturally becomes a threat to the Hardworking Idiots’ job security.

In general, bad management types are banking on outside observers noticing only the work getting done. Only the sharpest on the sidelines will be able to differentiate between the two, amidst the flurry of widgets cranking out of the factory.

What happens when bad management discovers the value of the Lazy and Clever? Or does it ever happen, since it falls outside of their comfort zone? Perhaps this explains why CEOs are hired and fired so often. It takes time to discover what kind of performance and influence a CEO might have. The successful companies find their fill of the Hardworking Clever and the Lazy and Clever.

While Mr. Savage makes no such insinuation, I also find it hard to believe that von Manstein’s generals never had to work hard. There are times when everyone has to get their hands dirty, if for no other reason than to familiarize oneself with a process and decide who to delegate the task to next time. How else could his generals identify what was in need of improvement? Something to consider before signing on to the idea that one can start out or always remain Lazy and Clever.

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