Engineering and Art

A lack of imagination … or more accurate, shunning imagination, limits us at work. Imagination fills that sometimes large “empty chasm between noble aspirations and disappointing results.”  Managers need be technicians and indeed, artists. 

Here is a quote from one of my favorite organizational development resources. “Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership“ by Lee G. Bolman and Terrence E. Deal.

“Artists interpret experience and express it in forms that can be felt, understood, and appreciated by others. Art embraces emotions, subtlety, ambiguity. An artist reframes the world so others can see new possibilities. Modern organizations often rely too much on engineering and too little on art in searching for quality, commitment, and creativity. Art is not a replacement for engineering but an enhancement. Artistic leaders and managers help us look beyond today’s reality to new forms that release untapped individual energies and improve collective performance. The leader as artist relies on images as well as memos, poetry as well as policy, reflection as well as command, and reframing as well as refitting.”

Enjoy your weekend. Come Monday be sure to pack your imagination as you head out the door. Build a bridge across that chasm. Amazing results await.