Are Your Employees Fully Present at Work? Coping with Convoluted Systems

By Michelle Malay Carter on January 8, 2008 

beach-ball.jpgMuch energy within organizations is channeled into coping and compensating for poor systems.? Instead of fixing the toaster, we set up entire departments of burned toast scrapers.

Organizations could release a mother-lode of energy if the re-engineered and integrated their people systems, their organizational structure, and their managerial leadership frameworks to enable productive work.

Then, employees could spend their energy working – not coping, compensating, and circumventing convoluted systems.

It?s like holding a beach ball underwater.? It?s not really a difficult task, but if I try to have a conversation with you while doing it, I really can?t be fully present in our conversation.?? Due to deficient systems, employees cannot be fully present for their work.? What affect do you suppose that has on productivity?

I’m OK.? You’re OK.? Let’s fix the system.

Systems drive behavior.? Convoluted systems drive convoluted behavior.? What is the most bizarre way you have ever compensated or coped with a deficient system?

Filed Under Employee Engagement, Executive Leadership, Organization Design, Requisite Organization, Strategy

Comments

4 Responses to “Are Your Employees Fully Present at Work? Coping with Convoluted Systems”

  1. David Zinger on January 8th, 2008 8:19 am

    Michelle:

    Beach balls and toasters we can stay submerged or keep on scraping all our lives. I like the metaphors but even more importantly I appreciate the system fix.

    David

  2. Michelle Malay Carter on January 8th, 2008 7:44 pm

    Thank you David. I appreciate the comment.

    Michelle

  3. Eric Pennington on January 15th, 2008 10:46 am

    Changing a system requires faith (belief that it will come to pass) and vision…two areas woefully lacking in many organizations. And in a time where many want comfort, ease, and pleasure choosing to embrace vision and faith is rare.

    Organizations will never get to their preferrable future as long as they’re unwilling to go to a place unseen and more prosperous.

  4. Michelle Malay Carter on January 16th, 2008 6:59 am

    Eric,

    Thanks for the comment. Yes, I agree. Changing systems also takes time. Vision is associated with being about to think long term as well.

    We really don’t hold CEOs accountable for long term. Instead, we churn them every few years.

    Michelle