Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Wednesday Wisdom: Bob Woodward

"All good work is done in defiance of management."--Bob Woodward
Ask yourself: Were Julius and Ethel Rosenberg doing "good work" when they sold America's nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union? Woodward's statement demands clarification: Work done in defiance of management is not, by definition, good.

On the other hand, any management's directives can lead to good work, and therefore what is done is not in any way defying management. How about what Steve Jobs did at Apple to create the iPhone? there may have been tweaks done to it that were in defiance of some directive of his, but the overall project was his idea, and directed by him.

While Woodward's statement appears true in light of many whistle blower cases, including the Watergate scandal closely associated with him, that doesn't make it a universal TRUTH.

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