The dead horse theory

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Josep Oton

The “Dead Horse” theory is a scathing metaphor that reflects how many organizations run aground when they want to make work an inoperative model. It is said that this theory, applied to the analysis of group dynamics, is born from a saying of the Dakota Indians, transmitted through generations, which exudes great common sense: “when you discover that you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount”. However, this obviousness does not always govern our actions. This incoherence is evident in the story of the “Dead Horse.”

A rider mounts a horse stretched out on the ground. He tries with all his means to get it to stand up, but the animal lies lifeless. The rider deliberately ignores the state of the horse and, desperate at its immobility, vehemently reprimands it. Since the horse does not pay attention to him, he hits it harder with the whip. The stable manager, seeing that the horse cannot gallop, decides to lower his expectations and settle for trotting. As this strategy does not work, either, he concludes that the culprit is the rider himself, who does not know how to ride the animal properly. Consequently, he sends him to a training course. At the same time, he increases the funding margin with an additional amount for training to try to improve the horse’s performance. As the results are not as expected, it is decided to change the rider because he is not qualified and the possibility of commissioning a productivity study is being considered to determine if it may be necessary to hire a lighter rider who can improve the performance of the dead horse. To assess the viability of the measures adopted, a committee of experts is appointed to study the case. In addition, trips are organised to other countries to see first-hand how dead horses are ridden there. It is also decided to reclassify the dead horse and diagnose it with DL, that is, a “Dysfunctionality to live”.

Finally, it is stated that the dead horse, not requiring feed, is less expensive, entails less indirect costs and, therefore, contributes substantially, more than the rest of the horses, to the good final balance of the budgets.

People who are used to seeing successive pedagogical fads circulate in classrooms will have perfectly understood the meaning of the story of the dead horse, as well as the efforts of the rider and the person in charge of the stable to get out of the mess. It seems like a satire of the educational system made in bad faith by some heartless teacher. But it is not so

The theory of the “Dead Horse” comes from the business world. Although it seems like an absurd caricature, it portrays the behavior of many groups. It shows the attachment to senseless ideas, the blindness to the obvious, the stubbornness in asking for the impossible and the inertia in proposing unviable objectives. The repetition of ineffective remedies is a common problem in many organizations reluctant to get rid of sterile or even harmful projects. Let us remember when bloodletting and leeches were used in medicine.

It is quite common in certain organizations to continue investing time, resources and efforts in an unproductive or, definitively, failed program. Instead of giving up, strategies are often implemented to try to revive a dead horse. By designing impractical goals, it is thought that with additional effort and greater investment, the situation can be reversed and all errors can be corrected.

This organizational anomaly is due to several possible reasons. Sometimes, because it is the idea of ​​someone who is given great authority and no one dares to contradict him. It may also happen that there are too many commitments made previously and we insist on making it work no matter what. Or, perhaps it was once a successful idea, but its effectiveness has expired, and yet we continue working almost like automatons in the indicated direction.

It is essential to recognize when the time has come to put aside unproductive efforts and redirect our energy towards more viable solutions. To do this, we need to open our eyes and realize what the reality is like. Otherwise, we will continue riding a dead horse, uselessly wasting resources without ever getting anywhere. Let those responsible for education to be aware of it.

Source: educational EVIDENCE

Rights: Creative Commons