Jacky Pang
Authored Comments
No one said anything about removing communication all together. I am merely stating that not everything must be disclosed to every part of the company. This would be a logistical disaster.
Management understands the need to "gather input from all their employees" and so do MBA's. So Shawn, you're right, MBAs cannot run the business by themselves. However, this only means two-way communication is crucial, not vertical equality.
If one thought vertical equality was as important, that one may be suggesting a junior sales rep should decide how much the business should invest in next years total investments for a new product launch, marketing, research and so forth.
Smart management teams do reseach projects before acting. These prologues to their actions include communicating with their employees. They do not ignore input offered by employees (if they did, it would be communication) and they certainly do not "stumble in the dark."
And this again goes back to the importance of two-way communications. That is what's important. Management should never disclose everything to every part of the business. As long as everyone understands the common goal, everyone will work hard to achieve that goal (communication). However, not everyone needs to know everything.
*Two way communications should not only apply to clients, but also internally.
I think I see what you are trying to get at. But I feel that everything is best with a good mix of tactics. I view it as striking a good balance between the two. One can maintain a very open structure while still having management.
For instance, many people with expertise choose not to start their own business because being an entrepreneur brings along a lot of other duties that one may not want to be stuck with. Such individuals exist even within an OS project.
And for another thing, I have always reiterated that great companies do not have one misinformed group who is detached from reality making the decisions. What I stand for is a open business in which management will take opinions from all levels into consideration. This open two-way communication is what I think is important to any business, even non-OS ones.
And I never stated of attempted I infer that people are hostile...just that some people may not be concerned about knowing very thing. Some people like to do their part and then say good night.