原理简述
For all the millennia of human existence, life was miserable. Nearly everyone was born into poverty, lived in poverty and died young. As recently as 200 years ago, 90% of the world’s population lived in extreme poverty. But then something remarkable began to happen: life started to get better and better for more and more people. The flat line representing average well-being became a hockey stick, suddenly and sharply improving – and it has not stopped. Today, less than 10 percent of people live in extreme poverty, even though the world’s population is now almost eight times what it was 200 years ago.
What happened? In short, certain societies haltingly but increasingly began to move from top-down – where a few people controlled the many – to bottom-up, where more and more people enjoyed greater opportunity to live as they saw fit, although it has been an uneven process that remains incomplete. They were more fully able to apply their abilities and knowledge to better their lives and the lives of others.
A top-down approach assumes those in control know what’s best for everyone else. Those at the top typically seek power, rely on one-size-fits-all approaches and use detailed rules and coercion that stifle others. No matter how well-intentioned, a top-down approach only benefits those at the top.
A bottom-up approach respects the inherent worth of each person and unleashes creativity, initiative and talents, resulting in beneficial outcomes beyond what anyone could have planned or predicted. People and society benefit when behavior is mostly governed by general principles rather than detailed rules, freeing individuals to use their gifts and knowledge to tackle problems and pursue opportunities.
In an organization, a bottom-up approach does not mean decentralizing all decisions or equally distributing authorities. Leaders play a vital role in making decisions for which they have the comparative advantage. For example, a facility manager is most likely in the best position to make decisions that affect the whole facility. With a bottom-up approach, the manager seeks and uses the input and challenge of those who have relevant knowledge. However, with a top-down approach, managers simply impose their decisions, which undermines the culture and leads to worse results. They are guilty of “the fatal conceit.”
Bottom-up does not mean employees are free to do whatever they feel like. We strive to create the conditions where employees are motivated to do what is beneficial for Koch and themselves. The responsibility of every supervisor is to enable their employees to understand how, and be motivated, to maximize value in harmony with our principle-based framework. This bottom-up approach benefits everyone – employees, Koch and society.
例子
以下工作场所示例对比了个人采用自下而上方法与自上而下方法时的心态和行为。
- 决策
- 与他人合作
- 领导他人
- 应对变化
自下而上的方法
Max 的团队有三种不同的选择来使基于 Web 的应用程序更加用户友好。Max 召集了一个客户焦点小组,以获得他们的反应和反馈。他还听取团队的建议,并向他们提问以了解他们的推理。Max 意识到这个决定会影响其他团队,因此他与这些领导者合作,以确保最终决定带来最佳的整体结果。
自上而下的方法
Max 的团队有三种不同的选择来使基于 Web 的应用程序更加用户友好。由于他在从事产品开发十年后成为团队负责人,Max 相信他了解客户的价值。由于根据净现值或其他财务计算,没有明确的“获胜”替代方案,因此他选择了自己喜欢的替代方案。
自下而上的方法
当 Bree 被要求对她的队友 Donny 领导一个大型项目发表看法时,她对他的技能以及他可能需要帮助的地方给出了诚实的意见。她看到了唐尼的潜力,很高兴能帮助他。Bree 将此视为发展她的教练和指导技能的机会。
自上而下的方法
当 Bree 被要求对她的队友 Donny 领导一个大项目的看法时,她淡化了 Donny 的天赋和潜力。Bree 将 Donny 视为威胁,不想做任何可能剥夺她自己地位的事情。
自下而上的方法
虽然 Sara 的团队已经制定了各种工作流程和程序,但她始终将团队的注意力集中在结果上,并使用原则来描述好的样子。她指导她的团队成员更有贡献的动力,并鼓励他们不断寻找改进流程的方法,并确定应该停止的工作。
自上而下的方法
Sara 将大部分精力用于开发和执行她为团队创建的流程和程序。她认为自己是专家,她的团队是“工人”,只需要按照她的吩咐去做。当流程做得不好时,该团队已经创建了解决方法,因为与 Sara 打交道更容易改变某些东西。他们知道 Sara 不认为他们值得为团队层面的想法或决策做出贡献。
自下而上的方法
胡安在一个正在经历很多变化的地点工作。工厂领导团队最近召开了一次员工大会,讨论不断变化的市场状况、公司的最新愿景和工厂的优先事项。会议结束后,胡安与他的主管交谈并提出问题,以更好地了解这些变化的原因。然后,他为他们的团队可以采取哪些不同措施来改善结果提供了具体的想法。
自上而下的方法
胡安在一个正在经历很多变化的地点工作。工厂领导团队最近召开了一次员工大会,讨论不断变化的市场状况、公司的最新愿景和工厂的优先事项。会议结束后,胡安对他的主管说:“他们花了很多时间解释为什么这个地方总是在变化。只要告诉我该怎么做,我就会去做。
试一试
这些原则的力量是通过应用来实现的。申请时学习是无可替代的。
- 通读上面的例子。每个自下而上的例子有什么相似之处?考虑个人如何看待自己和他人。以贡献为动机的人会对这种待遇做出什么反应?
- 通读上面的例子。每个自上而下的例子有什么相似之处?考虑个人如何看待自己和他人。以贡献为动机的人会对这种待遇做出什么反应?
- 反思:想想你过去面临的情况,或者把自己放在上面例子中的人的位置上。您更倾向于自下而上还是自上而下的方法?未来可能需要做出哪些调整?
- 当需要做出决定时,我们的第一反应是担心谁拥有决策权,还是专注于澄清做出正确决定所需的知识?
- 当我们考虑绩效时,我们是更专注于遵循流程还是取得良好的结果?有什么区别?
- 我们文化的哪些方面促进了员工的创造性贡献?是什么扼杀了员工感到有能力做出创造性贡献?
- 对于主管:当你指导你的团队时,你是在帮助他们形成更好的判断力,以便他们能够应用原则,还是将大部分精力投入到制定和执行“万无一失”的流程上?