But judged from a deeper level, these are not in conflict after all. The reconciliation of these seemingly contradictory objectives (discipline and openness) lies in black box thinking. A manager who takes the time to probe the data and who listens to the various perspectives has a crucial advantage. Not only does he figure out what really happened in the specific case, he also sends an empowering message to his staff: if you make an honest mistake we will not penalise you.
