How things spread (3) puppetmasters all

pic c/o puppetsinmelbourne

Just a thought:

Most folk I've worked with are happy to go looking for the new and the emergent and possibly significant from the young and the unspeakably leading edge before it becomes big and popular and yet the same grateful professionals seem to believe that behaviours they see in the mass of the population (in the mainstream, if you like) can only arise arises from what they (marketers, politicians, managers) have done.

We, up here in the Big Chairs, like to think that it's what we do to the little people out there that makes the difference, that without us nothing much will happen.

Like we're actually puppetmasters, pulling the strings.

Just like the popular (and not so popular) press fears.

Oh, if only...

Truth is, most things spread without us and the best that most managers, marketers and politicians can do is work with the underlying dynamics. Understanding and describing these is the real challenge now for folk doing strategy of all sorts - assuming the world works without us and the best we can do is work with
the ordinary folk out there who shape it together.

Of course, the mistake they/we make is claiming responsibility for the good stuff; seems fair that we take the rap for things that are bugger all to do with us, I guess...I suspect this might turn out to be a large part of the Gordon problem.