It’s Perry Mason’s fault.

Responding to a remark about CO2 and global warming a few weeks back, a surprising number of readers pointed out that global warming is “just a theory,” with the evidence falling well short of proof.

The Greening Earth Society — a fossil-fuels-industry propaganda machine — beats this drum loudly. To the GES and everyone else who rejects global warming because it’s “just a theory” I have a question: Just a theory? Just? You might as well say “just” write a program. As with writing software, when it comes to scientific theories there’s no “just” about it. The creation of testable and tested theories (in this case affirmed by the National Academy of Sciences) is the essence of science. Proof is for lawyers, which is why I blame Perry Mason.

Whether you accept CO2-driven global warming as reality or not doesn’t affect your performance as an IT manager. Why you accept or reject it just might. So here’s the question: In your decision-making, are you a lawyer — a manager who demands the elimination of uncertainty before approving action?

Lawyers require proof. They consider proposals for change as accusations against their client, the status quo, which they defend with Perry-Mason-like tenacity. “Isn’t it possible a new and better option will become available next year?” they ask. “How many of our competitors are doing this? Why not more?” “What problems will we encounter implementing this? What do you mean, you don’t know?”

And so on. No matter what the facts and logic, there’s always some uncertainty left. There has to be, of course, because recommendations are about the future … an uncertain period of time … but I don’t care. I need proof!

Faced with a lawyer manager, employees learn to give up quickly. Since lawyer-managers are also judge and jury, and the appeals process is usually a career-killer, there’s no way to win the argument. Why even start?

Lawyers are just one of the major types of decision-maker. Lest you think I’m picking on the breed, let me point out that they aren’t the worst. At least they trade in facts and logic, which means persuasion is at least theoretically possible. Next week we’ll continue with our decision-making menagerie. In our collection we’ll also find marks, zealots, politicians, scientists, and card players.

You might even see yourself in one of the cages.