Whilst we were recording a podcast this morning Mark Earls brought to my attention this morning an article in yesterday’s Observer that likens Western Management to centrally planned Soviet style economies. As Simon Caulkin puts in that article: “The truth is that much conventional management is central planning in western disguise. This is why most companies are zombie-like in their structural and strategic similarity. This is why, too, they are unable to learn.”

This reminds me of Igor, the Franciscan Monk/fighter pilot turned ad man (from Vilnius Agency Garage 4×4, now Not Perfect) who referred to himself as ‘homo sovieticus’. The point I make in the chapter named for Igor (”Homo Sovieticus and other control freaks”) is that we are all more addicted to control on this micro scale than we realise, or care to admit - a theme Mark, Johnnie Moore and I explored in our conversation this morning. And there is a great asymmetry here - we like to control others it seems, as long as no-one controls us. Hence the CEO’s who want to be free from any government ‘interference’ but in firm, manly control of all who work for them.

Improvisers, by contrast, set up simple structures that introduce an element of constraint, rather than try to control things. Otherwise they allow themselves a high degree of freedom. Thus they can create a scene which is funny and engaging even whilst obliging themselves to begin each speech with the next letter of the alphabet. And by doing so they demonstrate an exceptional ability to create learning and action for their audience. Improvisers would clearly make ineffectual dictators or “hero CEO’s”. But isn’t that a good thing?