The image above is frequently present in management books. Nerds call this kind of diagrams a McKinsey diagram. After the so called consultancy firm. The McKinsey diagram is intended for managers.

Managers are not that bright, they cope with their intellectual limitation by grouping everything into two groups. Buy or sell, solidarity or efficiency (why can't solidarty be efficient?), You're either with me or aggainst me. The Black and White thinking that, as I explaned in a pervious article, leads to extremism.

McKinsey makes a smart move: They use two set of extremes. Not three or more, that's to complex for managers, two, this results in four quadrants. Or like nerds say a two dimensional = flat view of the word. Here the second (North East) quadrant stand for the ideal goal, the third, (SW) quadrant for the big doom.

Managers know by instinct the second quadrant is good. Using growth charts, where sells are shown aggainst time, the target is also the march to the North East. When the fashion changes, the only thing McKinsey has to do, is change the position of the extremes. (Decentralisation left, centralisation right or the other way arround) and they are on for the next hype.

Conclusion: If you see a McKinsey diagram, realise your are seeing a flat extremist and easy to manipilate view of the world.

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Toni Cornelissen 1 January 1970 toni@dse.nl

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