What’s Wrong With My Organization

Who needs organization design? Pragmatic Solutions

Pragmatic solutions. That’s an interesting one.

Finding pragmatic solutions.  With that cliffhanger, let’s jump back in and look at a few pragmatic solutions that Org-ology has implemented.

Does something outlive its usefulness?

We live in an old house—so old, that at one time we actually had a built-in ironing board as a “convenience”. Speaking as someone who hasn’t worn anything but a tshirt since the last time I was required to go to a funeral, it’s rather perplexing how that would be a convenience. I’ve become somewhat fascinated by these leftover things that change and time have left behind. I’m curious as to where our experts see this in organizations.

Title: Please don’t make me work stupid: back to the office?

Let’s talk a bit about Zoom fatigue, supervision and measuring productivity. All questions that folk should be asking around this. Are we still trying to decide what direction we are going? What are we waiting for? 

The brick and mortar of a virtual office

Ah, remember the days when you had that person who was “in the know” at the office? That person who seemed to know not just who was sleeping with whom, but also how to get a conference room when no one else could? That type of office knowledge has gone the way of the telex and the rotary phone—the answer is probably “we’re virtual now and there’s an FAQ for that”. It doesn’t change the fact that there’s a vacuum now, where helpful people used to be. It’s well known that nature hates a vacuum—so what’s filling that space?  

Does staff have expiration dates?

Honest answers here: has anyone ever been motivated to go to work on Friday by the chance of having free pizza for lunch? Or that stale bagel for breakfast? If you happen to know who came up with that motivation plan, please submit your answers. Most folk agree that there’s a reason you’re paid to show up at work—and yet all the talk of work passion. If you talk to business leaders, they expect staff to see their work as the meaning of life. Can an excel spreadsheet be the meaning of life?

Change resistance or what exactly was a floppy disc?

In the chronicles of absurd parenting, my young daughter recently asked “dad, why do I click on that funny square thingy when I want to save my work on the computer?” I can only recommend: don’t discuss the details of data storage evolution with a nine year old—you have a vanishingly small chance of success. But it does make you ask: why are we still clicking on an icon image of a technology you probably can’t even buy anymore in our computer programs?

Radical transparency and accountability: do you really understand it?

For decades we’ve talked about democratization through digital media—the change in technology makes it possible for each individual to have a louder, distinct voice. Whether its YouTube or Twitter, the individual has a greater impact—and megaphone than ever before. Do companies, and organizations, really grasp what that means for decision making, that—until now—may have been considered internal or private? Let’s look at current developments to see what their behaviors show.

Where you lead, I will follow…maybe?

God save the queen. Or, wait. I think we’re now at God save the king, aren’t we? Recent events in British monarchy make for an interesting distraction in these turbulent times. Elizabeth was indeed the only person in that role, in my lifetime, so the changing of the guard does make for interesting observations. Who knew we British had such a collection of funny hats. As rather an anti-monarchist, I’d be curious to know if our in-house experts can assign a value to any of all of this.

Becoming a good leader is not easy

As a non-athlete I’m really rather fascinated by that coach on the sidelines in sports—what do they actually do? Some of them do shout a lot, and jump up and down. Does that really make a team play better? If so, how? And how does business coaching work: is there a lot of excited yelling in that too? What role should a really good coach play, or shouldn’t play?

Stop trying to build a faster horse

So, are we in the pandemic—or out of it? In a recession or not? Are you planning for disaster or rebound? If it’s a rebound, then what does it look like? Visiting a favorite coffee shop recently, and looking around at the neighborhood—it’s empty shops, sometimes an empty block—, it was hard to tell what any reasonable person should be anticipating—based on the small window that is my neighborhood. So, what are the experts thinking?