A Different Kind of Organization

(Karl) Weick (of Cornell) supposes that inflexibility stems from the mechanical pictures of organizations we carry in our heads; he says, for instance: 'Chronic use of the military metaphor leads people repeatedly to overlook a different kind of organization, one that values improvisation rather than forecasting, dwells on opportunities rather than constraints, discovers new actions rather than defends past actions, values arguments more highly than serenity and encourages doubt and contradiction rather than belief. 

-Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman, Jr.

"Successful American Companies" (p. 7)

In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America's Best-Run Companies