Knowing Doing Gap Pfeffer
One book, placed in its field — what this book gets right, where it goes further than the rest, and what the rest of the field adds.
Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide · peopleleader.guide/guides/profile-knowing_doing_gap_pfeffer
Arrow keys or swipe to move · N for notes · F for full screen
Knowing Doing Gap Pfeffer
One book, placed in its field — what this book gets right, where it goes further than the rest, and what the rest of the field adds.
Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide · peopleleader.guide/guides/profile-knowing_doing_gap_pfeffer
The problem
Implementation of Performance Knowledge erodes when it is left to instinct instead of method.
You were taught the moves piecemeal, never the whole model.
Knowing Doing Gap Pfeffer · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
The model
- 01Guiding Philosophy and Values
- 02Learning by Doing and Teaching
- 03Action Orientation vs. Talk Substitution
- 04Mindless Reliance on Precedent
- 05Fear and Distrust
- 06Quality of Measurement Practices
- 07Internal Competition
- 08Cooperation and Knowledge Sharing
Knowing Doing Gap Pfeffer · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
Step 1 of 5 · Guiding Philosophy and Values
Principles travel across contexts; techniques rarely do, so import the reasoning before the tool.
Misconception
Practitioners believe that adopting the specific techniques of admired firms (Toyota's kanban, SAS's benefits) will reproduce their results.
Reality
Great companies transfer principles, not procedures; the philosophy tells local managers how to invent the right action for their own context, which is why literal copying of techniques fails.
Knowing Doing Gap Pfeffer · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
Step 2 of 5 · Learning by Doing and Teaching
You do not fully know a practice until you can perform it and teach it under real conditions.
Misconception
Practitioners assume that if people have read the manual, attended the training, or seen the presentation, they now 'know how' to do the work.
Reality
There is a difference between knowing about something and knowing how to do it, and only repeated performance under guidance builds the second; teaching others forces the tacit knowledge to surface and consolidate.
Knowing Doing Gap Pfeffer · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
Step 3 of 5 · Action Orientation vs. Talk Substitution
Talk becomes a substitute for action when it is rewarded as an end in itself.
Misconception
Practitioners believe that sounding smart—especially by critiquing proposals and identifying complications—signals competence and moves things forward.
Reality
'Smart talk' rewards those who talk in complicated ways and criticize others, which actively obstructs action; the person who articulates why an idea will fail often gets more status than the person who tries it.
Knowing Doing Gap Pfeffer · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
Step 4 of 5 · Mindless Reliance on Precedent
Habit is a substitute for thinking; unquestioned SOPs are where new knowledge goes to die.
Misconception
Practitioners assume their standard procedures persist because they still work best, rather than because they are simply familiar and unquestioned.
Reality
Much repeated behavior survives not on merit but because remembering the past is easier than thinking; the reasons a practice began often vanish while the practice grinds on.
Knowing Doing Gap Pfeffer · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
Step 5 of 5 · Fear and Distrust
Fear makes people hide knowledge exactly when acting on it matters most.
Misconception
Leaders believe that fear and pressure sharpen focus and drive performance, so a little threat keeps people accountable.
Reality
Fear produces the opposite of accountability—it makes people bury bad news, avoid the risks inherent in doing something new, and optimize for short-term self-preservation, which guarantees the gap stays open.
Knowing Doing Gap Pfeffer · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
A framework to use
Eight Guidelines for Turning Knowledge into Action
This framework is part of the full guide. See the guide →
Knowing Doing Gap Pfeffer · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
The cheat sheet
- Guiding Philosophy and ValuesPrinciples travel across contexts; techniques rarely do, so import the reasoning before the tool.
- Learning by Doing and TeachingYou do not fully know a practice until you can perform it and teach it under real conditions.
- Action Orientation vs. Talk SubstitutionTalk becomes a substitute for action when it is rewarded as an end in itself.
- Mindless Reliance on PrecedentHabit is a substitute for thinking; unquestioned SOPs are where new knowledge goes to die.
- Fear and DistrustFear makes people hide knowledge exactly when acting on it matters most.
- Quality of Measurement PracticesFewer, simpler, process-focused metrics beat comprehensive outcome dashboards for driving action.
- Internal CompetitionCompeting with colleagues and competing in the market are opposites, not analogues.
- Cooperation and Knowledge SharingCooperation is engineered by incentives and identity, not by platforms or slogans.
Knowing Doing Gap Pfeffer · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
Sources
- Knowing Doing Gap Pfeffer
Knowing Doing Gap Pfeffer · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide