“Who was Elliott Jaques, and what was his research all about?” There were six of us seated around the table and the question floated like a pass from Drew Brees.

My usual response to that question takes 3 hours, but it was late and I had to be up early. I struggle with that question, because any response is the first step in a long and important journey for any manager. But still, it was late and I had to be up early.

“Elliott Jaques was the most profound management scientist on the planet,” I began. “His study of organizations spanned more than 50 years, generated 23 books and left a legacy for every manager to follow. Elliott observed that each person has, within themselves, an innate ability to deal with a certain level of complexity in the world. Some people are quite comfortable working on projects that will not be completed for one year or more; some cannot manage to get beyond next week.

“Each of us is different. And that difference is measurable.

“As managers, we look at the individuals on our team, and we make running intuitive judgments about what tasks we can assign to which person. It is that judgment — about who can do what, by when? — that was the focus of Elliott’s research.

“How big is the role, and how big is the person filling that role? This is not about personality or a skill set. This judgment is about capability.”

But it was late and I had to be up early.