Organizational Orthodoxy

I find it terribly frustrating when I encounter organizational orthodoxies that persist even in the face overwhelming evidence that they negatively impact an organizations ability to innovate.

We are a long way on from the industrial revolution and still we see organizations defined by rigid hierarchies and outmoded methods of communication and interaction.  It is hard to fathom that organizations can not make the connection between empowering their people and rigid strictures and hierarchies that sap the will and ability to innovate.

We are seeing very vividly today how outmoded organizational orthodoxy is playing out in many entities that bet their future and fortune on things like Six Sigma and Lean.  Lean and Six Sigma in themselves are not the problem, but placing "all the eggs" in those baskets and not empowering individuals to innovate seems to be inherent in those approaches to organizational efficiency.