There are many factors that influence the decision process when managing (change). The amount of participation around an issue is one. The choice in favour a gradual or radical pace of the process is another. This topic is about whether you can control the problem with a technical and or economical solution or that the solution is very much influenced by a social and political environment.

To define the quality of a solution is a normative practice. Yet any thorough technical or economical solution for a problem would normally qualify to obtain a quality norm. But what if the solution is the result of a social or political outcome?

Remember the issue with the disposal of the Brent Spar ten years ago. This was an oil platform which economic life had ended. The initial approach to solve the storage of this platform (the problem) was to let it sink in the see. Technically and economically the best solution. Yet, this became a public issue and the Oil Company needed to search for another solution (the dismantling of the platform). This was a social and political influenced solution.

Management in (large) companies involves often a lot of politics. This is the case when employees are (negatively) affected, for example when dealing with outsourcing. The benefits of outsourcing could be measured by economic and accounting measures. This is purely a question of numbers. On the other hand, there are quality elements that are not easy to measure. “Economists know the price about everything, but the value of nothing,” is often uttered in this context.

On much simpler scale this dilemma occurs in a variety of issues where a manager need to find a solution. You should know by experience which issues require a technical approach and which issue are political.

Try to leave politics out as much as possible, but pay attention to those critical issues that require a social and political approach.

© 2006 Hans Bool

Hans Bool is the founder of Astor White a traditional management consulting company that offers online management advice. Astor Online solves issues in hours what normally would take days. You can apply for a free demo account

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