Seating arrangements used in the IMPM used in companies and should be used in politics
Round tables have helped Professor Mintzberg’s executive students
learn from each other. “Show-and-tell” circles have encouraged them to
share ideas. Some participants were designated as “listeners”, with a
mandate to eavesdrop on the discussion and report back rather than take
part.
Some of these more participative arrangements have trickled down to
workplaces, flattening hierarchy and making problem-solving easier, and
encouraging, in Prof Mintzberg’s words, “discussion and development at
its best”.