Dave Snowden is so dead-on in this brief post regarding my own advisory philosophy and approach, that if you’re contemplating my services, go read it.
One of the reasons why I don’t do much USAID, ADB, World Bank, IFC type work here in the Philippines is that they often seem to be more interested in prescribing the process a professional (like me) goes through to find a solution than in having me find a solution.
Firstly understanding the nature of the system within which you have to make a decision.
Much of the development-type advisories here in the Philippines look first at how others have attempted to solve similar problems, then tag on a recognition of the Philippine environment (culture, laws, institutions, politics, the whole shebang) in making a recommendation. This is not the type of advisory I’m that interested in. There are many others here that are, quite frankly, probably better at that approach than I am anyway.
It’s not that looking at other solutions or practices is bad. It’s that the process (and time spent on it) tends to undermine the focus that should be placed on understanding the true nature of OUR problem – and that’s where we should start.
Human’s are very good at contextual decision making, the issue is to increase the number of patterns from which they can synthesise a contextually appropriate solution, rather than following a prescriptive recipe derived from a partially, ill understood and critically subtly different environment.
Of course following a prescribed recipe seems comfortable and can be a risk avoidance measure. However when you go into a restaurant do you expect food prepared by someone from a recipe book or would you prefer a Chef who understands cooking, the nature of the ingredients and who can adapt to the context?
Of course to become a Chef requires formal training, and critically experience and a willingness to cope with uncertainty. All of which to my mind are essential characteristics of leadership which are undermined by best practice and case studies.
I’m in the kitchen. Cooking. Adapting.