Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

The vast majority of people need some type of information. There is, however, a limit to  information that leads to effectiveness. Adding more information after this limit only leads to lesser effectiveness.

Here are a few posts on the MOI model from author and consultant Jerry Weinberg. The MOI model comprises three parts:

1. Motivation
2. Organization
3. Information

This posts discusses Information.

Knowledge is power. We all know that, right? As a manager, I want to make my team powerful so they can be effective. Therefore, isn’t this management stuff simple, I give the team information to make them powerful. And in today’s world of the Internet and all, I provide them hundreds of links to places that have pertinent information. My goodness, I can just feel the power of my team growing with every little link that I email to them.

But then, things stop working with my team. Rats, that MOI model curve looks the same when we consider Information. See the graph below. It is remarkably similar to the Motivation and Organization curves. More information leads to more effectiveness. Then we hit the center section of the curve, and effectiveness levels. Then we go to the right section of the curve and effectiveness drops with every new link of information I send.

The Information Part of the MOI Model

What could be wrong with my team? Why can’t they accept the wonderful information I am supplying and use it well?

Information takes time and energy to sort. While all the information I supply is good, well, okay, the vast majority of the information I supply is good, a person can only juggle so many things at a time.

There is this rule of seven that states something like:

A person can consider seven things (plus or minus two) at one time

Persons don’t seem to consider 12 things at a time very well. Even the exceptional people who are on my team, and believe me, since I chose these people, they are all exceptional, well even these exceptional people might be able to consider 10 things at a time, but well…

Once again, the key question is, “how much information is too much information?”

Once again, the answer is, “that differs with different people and different situations.”

Once again, the answer is:

Notice yourself.

Notice the team.

Sigh. There ought to be more to this management field than noticing.