PAGE SIX THE HARBUS NEWS MARCH 2018

CAMPUS NEWS

Radical Transparency with Brid_gewater

Founder Ray Dalio It was sumding room on{y in Spwgler Auditorium for Ray Dalu/s fireside clwt with Prefessor Bill Sahlmon. Editm-in-Chef

Sumit Malik (HBS '19) reports on Dalw's words ef admce for .fat:ure business leaders during and efi,er tJze event.

SumitMalik Editor-in-Chief

Ray Dalio (HBS '73), founder of Bridgewater, the world's largest hedge fund with approximately $160 billion in assets under management, built his firm 's investment process around the principles of radical truth and radical transparency. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he held nothing back during his fireside chat in an overflowing Spangler Auditorium.

In a discussion moderated by Professor Bill Sahlman (HBS '55), Dalio-before an audience of over 350 members from the Harvard Business School community-<l.idn't shy from criticizing a tendency toward classroom dynamics that, from his perspective, can favor decorum at the expense of discovery. According to Dalio, students over the years have become polite to the point of being counterproductive.

Dalio explained that "this idea of purely thoughtful disagreement'' that can be achieved in the case method was one of the qualities that he loved about HBS pedagogy. Reaping the benefits of this methodology, however, demands a commitment to candor and openness. "What struck me about the classes that I've observed recently [ ... ] is that, the ones I've sat in, you don't push it," be insisted.

In line with one of the key points from his TED talk this past September-"Rather than thinking, 'I'm right,' I started to ask myself, 'How do I know I'm right?'"-he went on to test his hypothesis with the audience. Polling attendees whether class discussions should wrestle difficult questions to the ground through thoughtful disagreement, he received almost unanimous assent. When he asked who thought the level of disagreement was inadequate, nearly the same number of hands shot up. Satisfied, Dalio turned to Sahlman and quipped, "A lot of them think you should do more of that."

While it's not everyday that we see frank, public criticism at Hmvard Business School, this exchange barely represents a taste of the culture at Bridgewater, defined by a set of rules that encapsulate Dalio's leadership philosophy. Many of these, which Dalio has outlined in his book entitled Principles, may come off as unusual or extreme: "remember

that everyone has opinions and they are often bad"; "think of the problems you perceive in a machinelike way"; "use 'public hangings' to deter bad behavior." Dalio points to his principles, however seeruingly unconventional, as the ideology underpinning his rise from a middle-class neighborhood in Long Island to become a titan of the hedge fund world.

In his presentation, Dalio described a virtuous cycle driven by independent thinkers with audacious goals, a meritocracy of ideas, and a principled, systematic decision­making process. These factors drive success and failure alike, along with valuable lessons that provide a foundation for even loftier goals. A classic but tragic pitfall is that an idea meritocracy is eroded by ego, as individuals feel inherent attachment to their own ideas. In contrast, a successful idea meritocracy is characterized by upfront disclosure of beliefs, open disagreement, and methodical dispute resolution.

One of the greatest impediments to optimal business outcomes 1s the human conflict between what Dalio calls the "two yous": the cerebral, thoughtful you and the emotional you. For example, if given the option to know our weaknesses or what others truly think about us, our intellectual tendency is toward knowing, but our emotional tendency may be to avoid the truth. An emotional barrier hinders openly sharing with others any candid impressions, opinions, and judgments of them. This tension demands assessment of the extent to which we are mentally prepared to subscribe to radical truth and radical transparency, decision-making based on a meritocracy of ideas, knowing and acknowledging the true nature of ourselves and others, and formalized decision­making through algorithms that objectively weigh the foregoing.

In pursuit of objective truth, at Bridgewater, ubiquitous video cameras record day-to­day interactions, employees grade their colleagues on a continuous basis, aod feedback is aggregated into permanent records accessible throughout the firm. Dalio once received an email from employee Jim Haskel after a meeting that chided him because he "rambled for 50 minutes," claiming the head of the firm deserved a "D·" grade for his performance. Rather than growing irritated at the audacious or abrasive nature of the email, Dalio proceeded to copy the entire company

on the email thread. Dalio and Bridgewater representatives have pointed to the exchange as a telling example of the radical transparency that the firm expects of its employees.

Dalio's methods aren't for everyone. "Some don't make it," be explained to the crowd in Spaogler. "I'd say about a third don't make it in the first 18 months." Dalio described the process of adapting to Bridgewater as a journey that requires "behavioral modification," but once employees learn how to navigate the unusual firm environment, they can't imagine themselves operating in any other way. Others have expressed greater skepticism that contrasts with Dalio's idealism. In the Leadership and Organizational Behavior course at Harvard Business School, a case that delved into the effectiveness of

Dalio's model at Bridgewater was, perhaps fittingly, a contentious one. In mass media, reports of Bridgewater employees publicly shaming their colleagues or pushing them to tears are widespread.

After his presentation in Spangler Auditorium, Dalio reaffirmed his desire to pass on lessons that he has developed over a highly successful career to the next generation ofleaders. Through having experiences and allowing those experiences to be evaluated critically and transparently, he believes "you see reality." Beyond improving performance, a culture of transparency can be an asset to advance equality and ethics because problems will be surfaced rather than swept under the rug. Even if we debate Dalio's principles, we can aspire to his commitment to pushing the boundaries of performance,

strengthening morals, and inspiring others to do the same.

Sumit Malik (HBS '19) is an investor; writer; and en.trepreneur. Prefessionally, his background is in venture capital and prwate equity at Warburg Pincus, stral£gy as a board member ef Santander Asset Management Chile, and investment banking al Goldman Sachs. Personally, he writes far academic and popular publications and performs music and poi (light­or fire-spinning). He previously recewed an A.B., summa cum laude,

.ftom Harvard College and an S.M

.ftom the Harvard Graduate School ef Arlr and Sciences.