1.5 - About University

development paths of all positions in the company, without being specific to any one disciplineor profession. Here’s the catch: It is impossible to maximize all three dimensions (general,accurate, simple) when designing the process. Trade-offs are inevitable. For example, asaccuracy improves, the process becomes less and less simple (i.e., the binder of detailed informationbegins to pile up).The catch to the General-Accurate-Simple (GAS) model is that you can have only two ofthe three! If you design a process that is General and Simple, some may challenge itsAccuracy by saying, “You need to be more specific for my department by adding….” Thisleads to elaborating on the process to make it more Accurate. If you make the processAccurate and Simple for one department, it will be less General for other departments. Thus,leaders must inevitably make trade-offs and consider the most useful balance between thesethree dimensions when designing a process.In case you think that only leadership models are subject to the GAS model, consider oneof the most powerful formulas in physics, Newton’s second law: F = ma. It only works wellwhen the velocity of the object is far from the speed of light. As velocity approaches the speedof light, you need to use Einstein’s insights on relativity—no longer simple, but more accurate.H OW TO USE THIS LEADERSHIP TOOL“I think [many leadership models] are uninformative and pedestrian partly because people have tried to makethem general and accurate and simple. In trying to accommodate all three of these aims, none have been realizedvigorously; the result has been bland assertions.”—Karl Weick, THE SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY OF LEARNINGThink of a leadership process that you will be designing or redesigning in the near future (e.g.,performance management, strategic planning, goal setting, accountability, career development,compensation, and so on). Assess this process in terms of the GAS model. What tradeoffsare needed so that the process is useful and usable in your organization?WEB WORKSHEETName of leadership process: _______________________________________________________________________________________Level of Generalityneeded and whyLevel of Accuracyneeded and why34 SECTION 1 FOUNDATIONAL CONCEPTS