Napoleon used these matrices to determine people with poor soldiering characteristics. It is an interesting matrix for organisational behaviour as well. Try to guess which employee or ‘soldier’ is the worst candidate for an organisation.
Is it the candidate that is:
a. Lazy and Smart?
b. Lazy and Stupid?
c. Hardworking and Smart?
d. Hardworking and Stupid?
Answer: d. Hardworking and Stupid. Why? Because they look like they are ‘doing something’ even though they don’t have the capacity to understand it, let alone, execute it properly. It is the hardworking and stupid candidate that makes the biggest mess within an organisation. So sayeth Napoleon. And he should know…