2026-03-11
a management theory hiding inside a sitcom
Venkat Rao uses The Office to describe how organizations actually work: Sociopaths at the top who pull the strings, Clueless middle managers who genuinely believe in the mission and serve as useful scapegoats, and Losers at the bottom who made a rational trade of freedom for stability. The uncomfortable part is that the model maps disturbingly well to real life.
I found this idea fascinating. I realized that "management" can also be studied from a "scientific" angle. Maybe learning about leadership and management is useful in environments with a lot of disorganization and lack of competent leaders. Or maybe in any environment? Knowing how to perform while self-managing must be a valuable skill anywhere. Unfortunately I'm not very good at it yet. I notice I work very well in highly structured and organized environments, but in chaotic ones I feel more lost than a blind man in a shootout.