Why leaders must resist the temptation to oversimplify
Business today is inherently complex. We face economic uncertainty, intricate organisational structures, multifaceted decision-making and information overload, amongst other things.
Given this complexity why do business leaders often fall into the trap of believing they have all the answers? When you're paid to be an expert, you're expected to have the answers. This expectation makes us reluctant to question things which is when problems can arise. If we convince ourselves that the world is simpler than it is, we become less likely to test our assumptions. In a simple world you may be judged as stupid for not understanding what’s going on.
Both aviation and healthcare rely on highly trained professionals making decisions that impact lives. But their attitudes toward complexity are very different.
Pilots recognise that they operate in a complex world that they may not fully understand. They see failures as a result of the difficulty in understanding that complexity. Since not everything in a complex system can be controlled, it must be tested. By running simulations and making it safe for people to voice concerns aviation has improved safety.
In healthcare the mindset is often different. Doctors who train rigorously for years may see mistakes as a threat to their professionalism. Rather than acknowledging systemic issues, they may become defensive to protect their reputations. Healthcare is arguably one of the most complex systems that exists. With over 12,420 diseases classified by the WHO there are numerous ways to diagnose and treat them.
Acknowledging complexity should change our view of the world and make us more humble and open-minded.
The most successful leaders aren’t those who assume that they have, or should have all the answers. They’re the ones who acknowledge that the world is complex. They anticipate failure as part of dealing with this complexity and design systems to test assumptions, run simulations and encourage open discussions without defensiveness.