Dreams, Illusions and Reality

Executive Summary

Group 3
Justin Vandekerckhove: Jonathan Truyers: Francesco Isola Amandeep Bhukal Ankit Renee Topno Ankit Sud Magdalena Willassen 1105/13 1098/13 1059/13 0030/49 4010/19 0052/49 1056/13

11/13/2013

Executive Summary
Introduction
In the rational analytical model of management as we see it today, illusions have no place. The leaders are supposed to take rational, cold decisions and encourage others to do so. The rational managers demand reality, and if there are any illusions, their duty is to destroy them. For, how can proper decisions be taken unless the facts are right, and how can facts be right if they are clouded by illusions? But another pivotal question that arises is if an organization can exist solely on reality when the leaders are supposed to be masters at creating and managing emotions and sooner or later convert these emotions into a set of shared illusions? Leaders sell Dreams, they manufacture and sell illusions. But when will these illusions become a mobilizing force and when will they become dysfunctional? To spread more light on this trinity of Dreams, Illusions and Reality, we will discuss the dreams of a few pivotal leaders by means of a role play and how they created a web of illusions around those dreams in order to see them become a reality.

Leaders Speak

1
Mahatma Gandhi

Dream: An Independent India based on religious pluralism and non-violence where every religion will prosper. Illusion: The formation of such India is possible and every Indian can be inspired towards achievement of this goal. Reality: Disagreement of some nationalists and India getting partitioned into Hindu and Muslim majority states.

2
Steve Jobs

Dream: To make technology an integral part of life and to put a computer in the hands of every person. Illusion: To make people deeply believe in the need for a products like Mac, Ipods and Ipads. Reality: The technology named Macintosh was born and changed the world and the way we all see computers.

3
Adolf Hitler

Dream: To see Germany become the biggest military and economic power in the world and recapture its territories. Illusion: A political manifesto to blame jewish, physical disabled, communists and homosexuals for the economic and social situation. Reality: Germany came out of the War and was forced to pay millions to the winner countries. Inflation was galloping, and people were left unemployed.

4
Martin Luther King

Dream: Birth of a new America in which Blacks are considered equal to and give the same stature as Whites. Illusion: Ingraining a deep belief in blacks that equal rights can be achieved by means of manifestations etc. Reality: To a great extent, the moment started by Martin Luther King reduced the gap between Blacks and Whites.

Conclusion
In the world as we see it today, it is not possible to improve reality without dreams. Without dreams what would humanity have accomplished ? Everything tangible and intangible started with someones dream. But dreams of course bring illusions. As a leader, sharing your dream with someone is sharing the illusion of a possibility along with the risk of it. As we just saw, Hitler got trapped in his own illusion and so did the people that shared it with him. Every emblematic figures that existed in the past created some kind of illusions. When Vivekananda says that India is like a beacon of hope versus materialistic power and when Ghandi says that India is non-violent, is that reality or is it an illusion ? Concretely, every business started with and lives in the illusion that it can achieve what is stated in its vision statement. The real challenge for a leader is to deliberately create useful shared illusions. Hence, the message from The Wild Duck is:

Reality is what it is but illusions can make the reality better, especially if we make it a new reality.