A study conducted by Paulo Savaget, a professor at the University of Oxford, reveals that managers have many points to learn from hackers.
A study by Paulo Savaget, associate professor of engineering and Oxford University Saïd Business School, reveals that there are many points from which managers can learn hackers. The phrase “an effective manager must think like a hacker” can be very confusing and even run counter to the most current trends in emotional intelligence and soft skills in the workplace.
- What does an Ethical Hacker do and why has this professional figure become indispensable?
- ChatGPT: 7 possible risks of the absence of a usage policy in companies
In an interview with Forbes, Savaget explains that the knowledge and ingenuity hackers bring to systems thinking needn’t be harmful or illegal. The professor believes that the alternative solutions mentality can be invaluable management and, to exemplify the proposition, he uses the myth of the Trojan horse – in which the Greeks did not need to break the Trojan gate or walls to enter.
“Managers often believe they can solve all problems with rational design, thorough evaluation, and logical implementation, but this overplanning explains why projects often overpromise, overspend, or drag on forever,” he says. She says that a hacker mind can be crucial in situations with high risks, scarce resources, where there is no time for such bureaucratic processes.
Through his research, Paulo has identified five main ways a hacker approach could improve the efficiency of running a business, check them out:
5 hacking practices that can benefit your business
1. Go around the obstacles
According to the specialist, it is “human nature” to face obstacles head on. However, he believes that when we consider that every complex problem requires a complex solution, the result can be banging your head against a wall or feeling paralyzed when faced with a difficult situation.
“Through workarounds, online and offline hackers gain quick victories, and these sometimes pave the way for big changes they may not have anticipated,” says Paulo.
2. Find opportunities in the unexplored
The professor says it’s common for a manager to draw lines to maintain order, manage expectations, and go through their checklists. However, when those lines aren’t so obvious, they can get stuck with different ways to interpret situations.
In such cases, he believes a hacker’s approach can help map uncharted territories and find unconventional colleagues from different areas. “This creative, flexible, imperfection-loving mindset allows them to navigate ambivalent situations and fosters the identification of unconventional, quick and ingenious ways to cause extraordinary impacts,” she explains.
3. Cultivate a culture of pragmatism
Paulo believes that overplanning by managers is what causes some projects to fail. “Hacking can help them create a culture of pragmatism, valuing approaches that are experimental and incomplete with the resources they have at their disposal,” he says.
4. Mobilize the team around a process rather than goals or outcomes
According to Savaget, management scholars have highlighted the importance of mobilizing employees around goals that go beyond profit, such as social responsibility or a sense of belonging.
“A hacker approach can broaden this. Most hackers are diverse groups of self-organizing individuals who are much more interested in engaging in exciting processes than in a predetermined end goal or ownership of an outcome – and embracing the process can motivate your team,” he says.
5. Keep it simple and complex
The professor explains that hackers know how to eliminate “accidental complexity” and focus on the key properties of the problem they are trying to solve. This way, they keep things as simple as possible to prevent anything from going wrong.
It argues that not all complex problems should be tackled head-on, but calls for an analysis of its essential complexity. “Some of the world’s toughest challenges are complex because they are constantly evolving and intertwined, and would-be solvers who attempt to tackle all facets are doomed to failure,” she points out.
The four alternative solutions
According to the professor, alternative solutions are effective, versatile and accessible methods for solving complex problems. The method ignores and even challenges the conventions of how to solve a problem. Therefore, Savaget has listed four main ones to help managers, they are:
- On the shoulders: capitalizes on pre-existing but seemingly unrelated systems or relationships; they depend on finding peers that may have been unexplored.
- Loophole: make the rules work in your favor; while having a negative connotation, it can be used in a positive way by identifying technicalities and ambiguities in what the rules say and don’t say.
- Roundabout: interrupts self-reinforcing behaviors to buy time or to turn an undesirable behavior into a desirable one.
- Next best: reuse or recombine readily available resources to find different ways of doing things.
Paulo believes that stimulating a culture of dynamism and pragmatism, valuing experimental and incomplete approaches, can make an organization “more hacker”.
“This involves planning less, cultivating a culture of loving imperfection, giving employees flexibility (where forgiveness is better than permission), pivoting and racking up quick wins to make the most of unexpected opportunities, and being ready to step up when present opportunities . arise,” he concludes.
Source: forbes
Trending on Canaltech:
- Have you ever seen the surface of a strawberry under a microscope? prepare your stomach
- Galaxy S23 FE has a leaked aggressive price and can repeat the success of the S20 FE
- Moto G Power 5G arrives with 120Hz display and more storage
- Renault Sandero clears stocks and says goodbye to Brazil
- The artist uses artificial intelligence to create selfies of Jesus, Napoleon and other historical figures
- Windows 3.1 | 8 things that make the system a classic Microsoft
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
