A friend recently forwarded a very interesting article published in the April 17 2013 edition of Fortune Magazine. Megan Hustad’s article titled “The benefits of being stupid at work” examines a few scientific studies that demonstrate how functional stupidity generally helps get things done. One study found that when too many clever individuals in an organization raised their hands to suggest alternative courses of action or to ask “disquieting questions about decisions and structures,” work slowed.

You know the types -you might even be one of them- who likes to make ceaseless suggestions at meetings that generally drag on and ensure the meeting takes a life of its own. The types who want everyone to know that they “think out of the box” when there was really no box in the first place. The ones who want to square the circle and populate every sentence with the words “strategic”, “win-win” and “we need to exercise fiscal restraint” even when talking about last night’s Manchester United game.

The converse, however, is quite edifying. The authors of the scientific study found that stupidity seemed to have a unifying effect and boosted productivity. How so? People content in an atmosphere of functional stupidity came to consensus more easily (look at the members of parliament’s fight for salary increases as a case in point) and with that consensus came greater roll-up-our-sleeves enthusiasm for concentrating on the job (oh well, scratch the members of parliament example). You probably have been in a meeting where some very complex transaction or concept is being introduced. Everyone’s brow is furrowed in studied concentration as they try to understand what is being said, and there is the occasional grunt of acknowledgement or head bobbing to signal a point being understood. But you know deep in your gut that you are not the only one who doesn’t comprehend what’s going on. However, you don’t want to raise your hand and ask a “silly” question because that might make you appear stupid. And we can’t have our colleagues thinking we are stupid can we?

But there is always that one brave person who doesn’t mind appearing dumb and asks the question that is on everyone’s mind – much to everyone’s relief. This brave person will be the one who tends to ask better questions that will generate illuminating answers, which provide clarity and steer the direction of the conversation to a more fruitful conclusion. Megan’s article states that the art of asking “dumb questions” is particularly helpful during negotiations as those questions draw out more information that the opposing party may not have shared otherwise. She also writes, quite wisely I might add, that if you remain quiet, appearing “slow”, the opposing party will become uncomfortable, trying to fill the silence and talk which might reveal details that they maybe should not have.

Don’t try this at work if you are always the bright light at staff meetings. People might think that you are simply suffering from a temporary bout of cat’s-got-your-tongue or write it off as uncharacteristic moodiness both of which will draw unnecessary and unwarranted attention. However you may want to give it a shot at your next company takeover negotiation or marriage counseling session.

In other completely unrelated news, our favorite 2013 whipping boys “The Governors of Kenyan counties” have made some very significant and some very insignificant inroads 30 days into their first 100 days in office. From advertised investor conferences in Machakos county with the promise of 4000 acres for potential investors to alleged job advertisements for county executives pasted on market walls in a western Kenya county. It is (un)fortunate that the tune of the mwananchi will now shift from “Tunaomba Serikali” to the more appropriate “Tunaomba Ofisi ya Gavana” as the country’s focus shifts to devolution of power, devolution of resources and most importantly, devolution of problems!

I am under no illusion that the Governor’s seat is a steppingstone to the highest office in the land, the President. The difference however with this constitutional dispensation is that one has to demonstrate – I imagine – a certain level of success in implementing change, balancing a county budget, curbing insecurity and growing the local economy to the extent that county residents directly get impacted through creation of jobs or markets for their produce. The economic pillar will most likely be the single most important driver of success for the 47 Governors as it directly impacts Wanjiku the voter. But as previous voting patterns have demonstrated, perhaps it is not actual success but the illusion of it that sways voters’ decisions. The winner of the perception of success war will be the one who has the media eating out of his hand. The Mombasa, Machakos and Nairobi Governors respectively have quickly realized this and are leading the pack in the media image war. Watch this space: the next line of personal business for many county governors will be quietly funding “county newspapers” that become their not-so-offical mouthpieces.

In yet some more completely unrelated news, the priest at my church last Sunday, told us this joke as his parting shot:
“A Pastor was standing at the door of the church at the end of the Easter Sunday service, greeting people as they left to go home. A young man stopped and recognizing him the Pastor said, “Young man, I only see you here for Easter and Christmas services. What can I do to convince you to come more often and join the army of the Lord?” The young man looked down, somewhat sheepishly, and then whispered into the Pastor’s ear, “There’s no need really. I am a member of the Lord’s secret service.”

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Twitter: @carolmusyoka