Blind men touching an elephant

Author: Schumacher
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: If you work, you probably have to engage in project management every day (even if your title isn't Project Manager), and you'll understand how difficult the job is. There's an ancient fable called "The Blind Men and the Elephant," where the six blind men couldn't see the whole elephant and each had a partial understanding. Using this allegory, David Schumacher pointed out sharply the fundamental reason why projects are so challenging: lack of cohesion, meaning team members cannot reach a shared understanding when working on the same task. Every successful project is completed on the premise of cohesion among team members, as they collectively overcome barriers of differing perspectives and ensure the project's ultimate success. There is always a situation: the final outcome of project development often differs greatly from the ambitious plans we made when we first set out. Yet we still insist on doing everything possible to steer the project toward its predetermined goals, regardless of the reality that this approach has never succeeded before. It's truly an interesting and paradoxical phenomenon.