Job source, in simpler terms

Let me rephrase the gist of the last post regarding jobs.

The reason we don't have jobs for everyone is because our corporate management is
(a) out of touch with what the world actually needs, and would buy if we could supply it, and
(b) unable to figure out how to make that kind of product cheaply.

In turn, the reason behind both of those failings is that management is attempting to solve these problems without the use of the non-management part of the company, namely, the rest of the staff, and the customers.

That, in turn, is due to an unconscious arrogance, a belief that the staff is generally incompetent and surely can't solve any problem that the manager can't solve, and a legacy tradition of feeling that asking for help is a bad thing to do, a weak thing, and will "lose control" of the employees.

Figuring out what the customers really need requires sincere listening skills and strong empathy, even for people from different cultures, which is definitely NOT something that is taught in Business school. MBA's are, in anything, trained to ignore and order staff around, not to listen to them, nor to ask their help listening to the world of potential customers out there.

Similarly, adapting to changed circumstances and cleverly solving how to deliver goods and services cheaply is something that employees are prevented from doing, because it would involve them acting like "management." What if, gasp, they came up with such a good solution that their manager's prior solution looked bad?!!! Can't have that! What if they became self-directing and didn't even need the manager any more -- can't have that!

It is management's tendency to cling to legacy models of evoking the best in people that blinds and paralyzes the employees, so that they are unable, because of management, to solve the problems the company needs to solve in order to stay in business.

NO additional number of jobs "like that" is going to make this country thrive.

Don't get me wrong -- in most companies employees are asked repeatedly for their comments on what the company should do differently. It's just that management doesn't want to hear the replies, doesn't listen to them, and punishes anyone who suggests that management IS the problem. For example, managers typically evaluate employees performance in operating within the limits and directions set, but it is rare for employees, in turn, to evaluate their management's performance in providing decent limits and directions or in listening to adjustments suggested by employees.

IN any case, after the first few employees who offer actual suggestions have their hands cut off or are fired, the rest become curiously silent when asked for new ideas.

So, in sort, we are squandering 280, 000,000 people's insights and feedback, while a few arrogant people at the top try to "decide" how to "lead".

Step one would be, engage the other 279,999,998 people in solving this problem.