I’m at the stage of the semester where we begin our module on strategic planning. One of my favorite articles on the subject is from 1959, Charles Lindblom’s “The Science of ‘Muddling Through’“, which takes abstract theorizing about ends and means down to the practical level of how plans are actually made in our world of organizations with histories, ways of doing things, and only limited information about the universe of possibilities; it could be thought of as something of an application of Michael Oakeshott‘s caution regarding “rationalism” in politics.
Three years ago our university was very suddenly thrust into the world of online education, and I hurriedly made some very low-tech videos. This one gained some views from the outside world, so, from the archives, here I am in my back yard explaining to arts administration students what “muddling through” is about.
Michael, thanks for introducing me to the very useful essay, which I just accessed and downloaded. The driving force behind my doing this was not so much an interest in reading another treatise on planning, but moreover I was drawn in by your video and the use of metaphor to illustrate Lindblom’s two approaches. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it!