Security technologist Bruce Schneier offers a useful distinction in Wired between feeling secure and actually being secure. His focus is on how the gulf between the two approaches has distorted our national security policy, and our own life choices. But his point is directly relevant to larger decision-making issues, as well. Says Schneier:
…there are two ways to make people feel more secure. The first is to make people actually more secure and hope they notice. The second is to make people feel more secure without making them actually more secure, and hope they don’t notice.
The key here is whether we notice. The feeling and reality of security tend to converge when we take notice, and diverge when we don’t. People notice when 1) there are enough positive and negative examples to draw a conclusion, and 2) there isn’t too much emotion clouding the issue.
How does this relate to cultural management? Consider for a moment how you and your arts organization make decisions and evaluate your work. Do you act in a way that makes you feel like you’re making a difference, or do you strive to notice if you’re actually making a difference?
It sounds like a silly question, perhaps. But I’ve seen many organizations struggle with the distinction. Sometimes, for example, the most powerful impact a nonprofit can have is in silent intervention — facilitating the success of other groups and individuals, without calling attention to themselves. But such silence rarely feels like you’re making an impact. You don’t see your name show up in the media. You don’t hear congratulations from civic leaders. You can’t point as easily to public evidence of your work when talking to foundations or funders. In these cases, it can feel more impactful to act in a more public way, but it would diminish your actual impact.
Ultimately, I’d assume we all want to make an enduring impact on our part of the world. If that’s the case, then a reflection and reality check every now and then seems like a good idea.
[ Thanks to BoingBoing for the initial link. ]
