Bob Behn’s Public Management Report An occasional (and maybe insightful) examination of the issues, dilemmas, challenges, and opportunities in leadership, governance, management, and performance in public agencies. Vol. 6, No. 10, June 2009 Copyright © 2009 by Robert D. Behn On why public executives need to recognize The Hint Behind “That’s Funny” Do you know how we humans for the planet. Galle did so that very recognizing novelty. discovered Neptune? It all started evening. There it was. Eureka! But how can we do that? How can because Uranus was behaving badly. But as Isaac Asimov is often quot- we recognize novelty? By stopping, In 1781, the British astronomer ed as saying: “The most exciting whenever we find ourselves saying William Herschel discovered Uranus— phrase to hear in science, the one “that’s funny” and instantly asking: the seventh planet in the solar sys- that heralds the new discoveries, is “Why?” “Why did I say that?” “What tem. This was nearly a century after not 'Eureka!' but 'That's funny.'” was funny?” “Why was it funny?” Isaac Newton had published his three Astronomers eventually discovered For whenever you say to yourself laws of motion, so astronomers could Neptune because they kept observing “that’s funny,” you are telling yourself easily use Newton’s equations plus that Uranus was doing something that you have seen or heard some- the positions of the sun and the other funny. Something very funny. Some- thing unusual, something that you planets to calculate Uranus’s orbit. thing so funny that, eventually, sev- didn’t expect to see, something novel. Oops. Uranus failed to follow its eral scientists decided that this funni- And that novelty is a hint. It sug- predicted orbit. As Tom Standage ness required some serious thought. gests that you have something to explains in his book, The Neptune Scientists, however, are not the discover—that, if you pay attention to File, Uranus was a “notoriously badly only ones who stumble across things the hint, you are about to learn some- behaved planet.” All the other planets that are “funny.” All of us do so all of thing new. Maybe you are about to comported themselves properly—that the time. Unfortunately, we are so learn that your subordinates are not is, according to Newton’s laws. But busy that, whenever we find ourselves following your sage advice. Maybe you not Uranus. Astronomers collected commenting, “that’s funny,” we ignore are about to learn that your organiza- more data on Uranus’s orbit, and our own, very astute (and perhaps tion is not following critical safe- mathematicians recalculated its fu- prescient) observation, and continue guards. Maybe you are about to learn ture orbit. But Uranus refused to on with the moment’s urgent task. that your organization’s brilliant pol- cooperate. John Pringle Nicol, a Scot- icy isn’t producing the desired re- tish astronomer, called Uranus “the sults. Maybe you are about to learn puzzle of our science.” How can we—harried humans that your organization faces an emer- To solve this puzzle, scientists all—recognize novelty? By stop- gency crisis. The novelty revealed by offered a variety of theories. Maybe ping whenever we hear ourselves your own observation, “that’s funny,” Uranus had been hit by a comet. saying, “that’s funny,” and ask- is a hint that there is a puzzle to be Maybe space contained some kind of ing: “Why?” “Why did I say that?” solved—maybe a puzzle that needs to resistive medium that slowed Uranus “What was funny?” “Why was it be solved immediately. down. Maybe Uranus was orbited by funny?” For the funniness sug- Public executives lead complicated some undetectable moon. Maybe the gests there is something to learn. lives. They are subjected to constant mathematical calculations were pressures. They confront numerous wrong. Maybe, for some reason, New- emergencies—usually very routine ton’s laws didn’t apply to Uranus. This is a mistake. Hours, days, emergencies that can be resolved Scientists never like this kind of ex- weeks or months later, we will realize using existing organizational routines. planation. Indeed, none of these ex- why. Something will happen—some- Public executives never have time planations were satisfactory. thing that we could have anticipated, to think. Yet, whenever they say to There remained one more possibil- something that we might have influ- themselves, “that’s funny,” they ought ity. Numerous astronomers concluded enced had we paid attention to our to recognize this as a signal that they that there must exist another planet own observation. For then, we recall, need to stop and think. beyond Uranus that was also influ- “Oh yes. Now I understand. That’s Who knows? Maybe the next time encing its orbit. Two mathematicians, why I said ‘that’s funny.’” you say to yourself, “that’s funny,” John Adams of the University of Cam- My Kennedy School colleagues, you will discover a new planet. d bridge and Urbain Le Verrier of the Arnold Howitt and Herman Leonard Paris Observatory, calculated where —both in their book Managing Crises, Robert D. Behn is a lecturer at Har- this unseen planet should be. Adams and in their executive-education pro- vard University's John F. Kennedy was unable to convince the head of gram, Leadership in Crises—distin- School of Government where he the Royal Observatory in Greenwich guish between common, routine crises chairs the executive-education pro- to look for the planet. Meanwhile, Le and emergency crises, which are gram “Driving Government Perfor- Verrier published his calculations and novel. An emergency crisis is one that mance: Leadership Strategies that sent a copy to Johann Galle at the we have never experienced before. Produce Results.” His latest publica- Berlin Observatory asking him to look Thus, they continue, the challenge of tion is: What All Mayors Would Like to Know About Baltimore’s CitiStat Per- To subscribe go to http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/TheBehnReport. It’s free! formance Strategy..