In this article I’m looking at a question that’s rarely asked in management: What if the most responsible course of action isn’t to maximize benefit, but to minimize harm? In decision theory, this is expressed as the minimax principle. The idea is that one should minimize the worst possible outcome. In human systems, that outcome is best understood as harm to people, relationships, and the invisible infrastructure that sustains collective work.

The language of management is often dominated by the pursuit of gains. Leaders are taught to ask, “What’s the best that can happen?” They’re told to optimize, to scale, and to seek advantage. The minimax principle turns this question around. It asks instead what’s the worst that can happen, and how do we prevent it? Every decision about maximization must be evaluated through the lens of minimizing harm. Harm minimization isn’t a boundary condition but the primary ethical directive that governs all other management decisions.

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