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OK,
perhaps there are some postal workers that might intentionally direct your parcel to
Bora Bora. So let's just consider people with at least a trace of
pride in themselves and their profession. In fairness to postal workers,
the mail usually arrives on time.
Organizational
performance guru, Ray Overdorff, has amassed a world of wisdom in working with thousands of people in
diverse organizations over the past two decades. Two of Ray's Six
Truths of the Workplace1 provide some insight into why things go
astray.
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Overdorff's Workplace
Truths #1 and #2
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Most people want to
do a good job.
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Most people, given
the same information, will come very close to the same conclusions.
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 Organizations are comprised of people that continuously make
decisions for allocation of resources; time, money and materials. When things
go wrong,
it's not because of bad intentions. Flawed decision-making results in:
- Mishandled transitions with both internal and external customers.
- Inaction and delayed execution.
- Misallocated resources.
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Truth #2 Revisited
Given
the same information, most people will come very close to the same conclusions.
Are your people making decisions
with different information and criteria?
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Isn't the cause of most screw-ups poor communication and
misunderstanding of decision making criteria? Why
do so many managers behave as though their people are mind readers?
On
a scale of one to ten, how would you rate the communication in your
organization?
How
would you rate your organization's decision making?
If
you could improve your ratings by twenty percent, how many costly shortfalls would
be avoided? What changes do you need to make? This brings us back
to more wisdom from Mr. Overdorff.
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Overdorff's Workplace Truths
#3 - 6
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Everybody wants to
be somebody.
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People
are willing to embrace change if they can see the value.
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It's
hard to look good in a bad system.
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Everybody
needs a coach. Be one. Get one!
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How
might you apply this wisdom in your workplace? Ask
yourself...
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Is
there an overall cognizance of individual contribution toward our organization's
goals? Is some mind reading required? Are pay checks your
primary intrinsic reward?
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How
effective is our system when it comes to making it easy for people
to make sound decisions and take appropriate actions?
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Does
our organization view screw-ups as opportunities for professional growth?
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Do
we have support systems or processes to support positive change through
coaching and mentoring?
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How
are shortcomings in these areas effecting our customers, internal
effectiveness, financial performance and our potential for growth?
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