“I’ve learned the hard way that broad-based participation is not optional. As leaders, we have no choice but to figure out how to invite in everybody who is going to be affected by change. Those that we fail to invite into the creation process will surely show up as resistors and saboteurs. But I haven’t become insistent on participation just to avoid resistance or to get people to support my efforts. It’s because no one person is smart enough to design anything for the whole system. No one of us these days can know what will work inside the dense networks we call organizations.”
 
Meg Wheatley, Finding our way..
 
Another argument for figuring out a way to "tap the wisdom of a crowd".  When we get large groups of people from our organizations together, we have to stop talking at them with our corporate designed plans and instead ask them for their ideas on the tough questions facing the company.  This is not an abdication of leadership - it is a recognition that a small groups of folks at the central locations can't possibly know what's going to work at the fringes of their organization.
 
Enjoy the week!
 
Rich

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