Organizational effectiveness does not lie in that narrow minded concept called rationality. It lies in the blend of clearheaded logic and powerful intuition
Henry MintzbergRead
When the world is predictable you need smart people. _x000D_ When the world is unpredictable you need adaptable people.
Interpretation
What this quote means
In unpredictable situations, adaptability becomes more valuable than intelligence.
This quote emphasizes the importance of adaptability in an ever-changing world. When conditions are stable, intelligence is crucial for making informed decisions; however, in times of uncertainty, it is the ability to adjust and thrive amidst chaos that truly determines success.
Themes
AdaptabilityChangeIntelligenceUnpredictableSmart
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a leadership seminar to highlight the importance of adaptability in teamwork.
More from Henry Mintzberg
All quotes →Basically, managing is about influencing action. Managing is about helping organizations and units to get things done, which means action. Sometimes, managers manage actions directly. They fight fires. They manage projects. They negotiate contracts.
Henry MintzbergRead
The real challenge in crafting strategy lies in detecting subtle discontinuities that may undermine a business in the future. And for that there is no technique, no program, just a sharp mind in touch with the situation.
Henry MintzbergRead
It is time to recognize conventional MBA programs for what they are - or else to close them down. They are specialized training in the functions of business, not general educating in the practice of management.
Henry MintzbergRead
To 'turn around' is to end up facing the same way. Maybe that is the problem, all the turning organizations around.
Henry MintzbergRead
Management and leadership are not separate spheres. The two skills work together in the larger realm of “communityship.
Henry MintzbergRead
Similar quotes
We cannot change the way the world is, but by opening ourselves to the world as it is, we may find that gentleness, decency and bravery are available - not only to us, but to all human beings.
Chogyam TrungpaRead
I left Delhi in 1989 and remember very little of how life used to be then. Increasingly, in my recent visits to Delhi, I've started to realize that the city has become intellectually very lively. It makes me want to discover the city over and over again.
Siddhartha MukherjeeRead
I see many more men who are feminist, or at least who have learned about life in the context of feminism.
Jane FondaRead
Openings come quickly, sometimes, like blue space in running clouds. A complete overcast, then a blaze of light.
Tennessee WilliamsRead
Because it’s no longer enough to be a decent person. It’s no longer enough to shake our heads and make concerned grimaces at the news. True enlightened activism is the only thing that can save humanity from itself.
Joss WhedonRead
the object of a new year is not that we should have a new year, but rather that we should have a new soul.
Gilbert K. ChestertonRead