The Relationship between Management Organization & Chinese Medicine Theory

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Chinese medicine and organizational theory have a number of parallels, in fact, the metaphors go both ways. Chinese medicine often describes the function of organ systems with metaphors from the organizational world: the liver is "the general"; the heart is "the emperor." So, what can Chinese medicine teach us about management and organization? To start, here's one lesson I have taken from it:

I understand that if you take ten acupuncturists, you could come up with ten diagnoses, and ten treatment plans ... so which one will work best? Answer: the one you actually use. Intention, commitment, and follow-through from the practitioner and the patient ... these are important elements to an effective treatment.

In my observation, the same thing applies to organization and management: the optimal decision is the one you actually act upon and follow through with, rather than the multitude of good ideas you just talk about.

In the words of Winston Churchill, "Try something."

Conditions change, yes, and there must be room for adjustment. But first you have to pick something and follow through. After a time, check in and see what progress has been made. Reassess. Move forward with the next decision.

Both patients and organizations will benefit.

Next up: holons, Chinese medicine, and organizational theory.

Update -- w00t! This here blog entry won a contest from Lifehack.org. Before you get too excited, prizes were randomly selected from entries.