> I think one thing that's needed to establish a culture of written communication is getting rid of any cultural elements that allow people to use the avoidance of reading and writing as an expression of power. You can frequently determine the balance of power between any two people in an organization by seeing which one has to read and prepare organized documents and presentations, and which one can simply speak and be spoken to.

This is perverse and contemptible in the 21st century. It reminds me of the line from the Simpsons movie: “I was elected to lead, not to read”. But it goes to show that any cultural change needs to come from the top in order to be effective.