by Ted Eytan, on 24 Feb 2008 06:25 pm
The Journey
The Fallacy of Detachment
Thanks, LEAN, for allowing me to recognize this.
I was reminded of this when I finished reading Pascal Dennis’ book (see my review here), and two recent events. Dennis says:
Detachment is a core Planning School assumption; the idea that we benefit by “abstracting” management from day-to-day operations.
Recognition #1
On my sabbatical project recently, working with other key leaders, we arranged to have two very important stakeholders come to the Gemba, many for the first time, to talk about providing for patients served in a leading-edge care system (see this post for the debrief and pictures).
The planning for the event was not straightforward, with lots of questions about how and why to do this, but the result was that the facts on the ground were obtained, and the conversations were rich throughout. How would I know about the epidemic (asthma) that was affecting families of this community disproportionately compared to the surrounding city? How would a payer and provider know where to collaborate to help these patients if not by being where the patients are?
The next day, when I visited with colleagues of one of the attendees, a comment was made by one that they have been meaning to visit this care site for a really long time. I think the attendees who were with me will make the case that it’s worth the trip. Not only that, but people are happy to show others what they do for patients.
As I have been spending time in the “abstracted” world of our nation’s capital, I realize how important these events are.
Recognition #2
On a recent trip to a invite-only workshop, I arrived to my hotel to discover that I had forgotten to pack dress pants. 30 minutes later, I found myself in a hotel van on a late night ride to Target, driven by one of the hotel’s managers.
He was in his 20’s and we were talking about his management approach. He said he preferred to work alongside his teams and help them solve problems directly. As an example, if a staff member felt that something was hard to clean, he would work with them to clean together, so they could see success. He said that he had been told to separate himself from those he managed to be a good manager and be respected.
The conversation made me think about how people learn how to manage and how it’s possible that we remove people’s ability to truly be respectful and be respected when we perpetuate the Fallacy of Detachment. It seemed like he was being taught the Fallacy of Detachment. My comment from the back of the dark van was, “You’ve got it right. Don’t change a thing.”
If I could at least throw a little doubt on the idea that detachment is appropriate (which is what I was taught when I was his age), I was up for it. That and the fact that I could get some very nice wool slacks at Target for a reasonable price.