A crucial cause of work behaviour

There’s a classic old video on youtube called Explorations in Management, and I’m not going to put the link up – the production is just too hard-core 70s and the language so gender exclusive I can’t associate myself with it.  It’s like a serious, boring Goodies episode.  But I’m mentioning it by way of acknowledgement because it makes a simple and fundamental point about what causes people’s behaviour at work.  (If you can’t resist finding it, type ‘Lord Wilfred Brown’ into youtube).

So, without further ado, quoting Lord Wilfred Brown:

“the behaviour of an individual at work is Read more…

Don’t pull….get lifted!

Here’s one you’ve either heard or said yourself – “I’ve got to pull myself out of the weeds, I’m involved in the detail and I can’t get moving“.

Familiar?  Here’s why people struggle in this area – the concept that they need to pull themselves up.  It won’t happen because of the natural principles of how work organises.  The way to get out of the weeds (an expression which, by the way, is fundamentally insulting to the work of your people) is to allow yourself to be lifted by creating solid layers of work. Read more…

Different Level…Different Bang for Buck

There’s an easy way to distinguish the different work at successive levels in the organisation.   Look at the bang for buck each level is expected to contribute, not just in terms of ‘what about’, but ‘by when’.   Including a timeframe allows us to set up middle and executive management that can add real value, while allowing the frontline to get on with their work.

It works like this for the first three levels in the organisation, which are all about delivering:

1a) Frontline: Deliver bang for buck today, or in a matter of weeks. Read more…

See the whole board

Some people just get it.  When faced with decisions they seem to see what others can’t.   One second before they gave their view, you were floundering, not sure which way to go.  Now it seems so obvious it’s almost embarrassing.

We know this ability when we see it.  Here’s a 3-minute clip so you can see an example for yourself (link here if you can’t see anything):

At 2:20 Sam Seaborn says “I don’t know the word”, as he’s trying to work out how President Bartlet pieces it all together.

Well….there is a word.  Two words.  It’s called cognitive capability, Read more…

How to create organisational silos

Silos - you can do it

If a siloed organisation is what you’re after, here’s how to go about doing it.    The only pre-requisite to being able to form silos is people who have a genuine urge to get work done and who care for the organisation.  Don’t worry, we’ll set it up so these natural instincts are naturally turned toward silo behaviour. Read more…

Politics at work start early

Politics - embedded

Here’s four quick quotes from current jobs being advertised, spot the common word:

• “You will posses demonstrated leadership, influencing and negotiation skills”
• “…excellent communication and influencing skills”
• “..combine specialist knowledge with strong management and influencing skills”
• “Excellent communication and influencing skills at all levels”.

All of these jobs are operational or audit roles, not sales or business development.  Which means the people they are influencing are internal people in the same organisation.  We have set up a political organisation from the start.

Read more…

Who should get the milk?

In the kitchen at work the other day, I made a coffee, opened the fridge to grab the milk and there was none.  After the initial surge of disappointment and frustration passed, I put my cup of black coffee with one sugar in a safe place and commenced the trudge down the hall toward the canteen.

Got to thinking along the way – how do we work out who should get the milk?  In my area we don’t have a defined role to take care of this sort of thing, which leaves it up to everyone.  At the same time, we seem to share an assumption that menial tasks such as milk collection should not be done by ‘important people’.  So how do we work out who is important? Read more…