How many layers do we really need in an organization?

How can I assess the capability and potential of my leaders with a degree of certitude?

What is the fundamental basis of evaluating big shifts in work complexity?

Are you grappling with some or all of these questions?

If these are some of the questions that caught your attention as a corporate professional, business leader, consultant, then I suggest you definitely need to expose yourself to the work of Elliot Jacques. Does the name ring a bell?? For few Yes, for others may be No. Well he is the one who gave us the phrase ‘mid- life crises’, he was a psychoanalyst, social scientist and management consultant.

My first introduction to Elliot was when I was working with American Express and we were partnering with a reputed Indian HR consulting firm. While discussing about work, capability and potential, one of the consultants mentioned Levels of Work (Stratified Systems Theory) I wasn’t aware of it, like a lot of theories in management that you aren’t aware of (there was once a time when not everything was available on google!). I was intrigued by the overarching concept and thought how come its possible I never heard about it.

Later as the years passed and when I was consulting for various organizations, I got trained on Jacques’ methodology. What surprised me was that very few consultants, HR professionals, business students, managers, leaders were aware about his work. What further amazed me was the experience that whenever I explained the construct, either someone got it instantly, if not, it remained elusive, no matter how many times or different ways I tried to explain. At times I questioned my ability to explain the construct and therefore checked with other consultants and realized their experience was similar to mine.

There have been many theories, models, methods of answering the 3 questions that I highlighted in the beginning. These theories were interesting and powerful in their own way, however the “aha” that happened when I read Jacques’ work was quite different. It bolstered by belief in the saying “there is nothing more practical than a good theory”.

For those who aren’t yet exposed to the theory, I will not spill the beans, however I will give you a sneak peek. The clarity of view that one has when one is near a source of light (say a candle) vs when one is far away from it – how far one can see, can be used symbolically to explain the crux of Jacques’ discovery.

Agree or disagree but one cannot ignore Elliot’s work

Like all the theories, this one has its own set of critiques, however, whether you agree or disagree with Jacques’ work, I firmly believe it is important to read it, as it gives us a fresh perspective to understand ambiguity and uncertainty related to work and human capability.

This post is for all those who like me, experienced an “aha” moment that still seems to resurface whenever we experience issues of human capability mismatch, inappropriate org design, dealing with concrete vs abstract in our work life.

To know more about Elliot Jacques’ work and human capability contact us at [email protected]