Sunteți pe pagina 1din 4

5 Performance Sins That Can Slowly Erode

Your Company’s Health


M. Mari Novak CPT
Steven J. Kelly CPT
KNO Worldwide, Prague, Czech Republic

In human life, there are many health problems that resolve themselves quite
effectively with simple attention and time. There are other problems that demand
testing and analysis, a decision on a treatment plan, follow-through with that plan --
and probably a change in life style to support your regained health. Who would
approach a doctor or medical specialist with a serious or unknown health problem
and demand a specific medicine or surgery without allowing a chance for testing,
assessment and identification of the true causes of the pain? Is it wise to embark on
a serious treatment plan before you know what you are treating?

Organizations are like that, too. Some productivity issues are simple and easy to
address. But most – 80% as determined by a series of research studies over the
past 10 years – involve solving complex issues. Issues that demand more than just a
“bandage” or first aid intervention. Yet that is what so often occurs. It is painful,
from the eyes of a performance consultant, to observe organizations in discomfort.
Organizations that need some attention to operate at a higher level of efficiency.

Often too, the organizations – like our amazing bodies -- are not so much sick, as
that we have just not been maintaining them very well. We tune-up the car, spring
clean the house, weed the garden, but we don’t do that for ourselves. It happens to
all of us, whether personally or in organizations. With age, so comes the need for
maintenance! We often slide away from our good habits (policies and procedures),
and put pressure on subsystems and functions (work processes) by letting standards
slip lower. It becomes easier for us to do the wrong things (rather than the healthy
ones), thus complicating the efficiency of the other functions that interact.

The human body is an entity, an organization, unto itself. The success of the body –
functioning well – depends upon the health of each of its many processes and
functions. And on the interaction of those functions or processes. It is the same
with every organization.

Problems should be addressed and solved, but if left alone they can fester into
serious concerns, detrimental to the health of the company. Yet, so often, if not
urgent -- or too complex -- these problems are always left until tomorrow….as we
so often put off that medical exam when we just don’t really want to know or be
bothered.

1
We also know that complex problems must be addressed with a ‘set of solutions’ –
there is rarely only one single issue that must be addressed. So instead of just
applying a simple “bandage”, it is usually much more effective to find out how the
problem has affected not only the identified part or function, but the system --what
function precedes it, who follows? -- in order to combat the effects of the problem
on other parts of the organization.

What is increasingly happening in business is the use of simple, superficial ‘fixes’ for
issues that require more systemic analysis and actions. The result: money, strength,
and success leak out of the organization. A weaker organization results. With
problems undiagnosed and untreated, there is a slow decline. And your competitors
are there to match your decline -- with their increases! It is a difficult and painful
process for corporate management.

What is distressing to the doctor – and to the organizational/systems


analyst/consultant – is the shift in priorities. It is not so much mistaking
treatment…it is a disregard for the rules of organizational anatomy! What results is
the steady degradation of the health, and the ability of an organization to fix itself
and be productive, to be successful. When an organization needs the expert review
or analysis of its situation, it is also distressing to misuse or work against that
analysis. Keeping in mind the principles of HPT, here are 5 frequent misuses
patients…clients…make of the analysis and constructive communication that are
necessary for health.

First, is the ‘let us get the cheapest price’ attitude. Never mind the quality of the
analysis or how you are going to solve it. Just put price first. Even better, just have
your procurement department run a project bid keeping the suppliers well away from
assessing the true issues. Think of everything in terms of cost. Don’t worry about
investment -- which would solve problems at their source and improve the capacity
of your company to increase revenues. Just focus on the lowest price. And when you
finally get a low price, do not give up… try to push it down lower. Make it impossible
for the analyst to do a reasonable job.

Secondly, if it is a potentially difficult, complex problem, isolate the solution you have
selected from the rest of the organization! In other words, just do an emergency,
short term "fix". Keep other units away from the effort, no matter how they affect or
are impacted by the process. Don't go back for analysis and decisions on what is the
cause. Don't really solve the systemic problem. Of course, we know that isolated
'fixes' are not as strong as the organizational system -- so the problem will most
certainly reoccur. Never mind, you are probably afraid that it cannot really be solved
anyway, so why invest in a serious effort to get to the roots of the ineffective
processes.

Third, it is just so much easier for everybody to use the same solution, the same
approaches that have always been used. It may not be effective. It may not address
the specific unique elements of the problem. It certainly does not solve the issue at
its source – and the problem will probably resurface again. But why not just do the
same old thing. Two days of training: yes!

2
Select a topic and get those employees in a classroom! Performance gap
measurement? Changes to procedures or motivation or disincentives? Never mind!
No time for that. Just keep going. Do more of what does not work, just as long as it
does not exceed the budget. All this adds up to speeding up the pace of your
decline. And you look as if you know what you are doing…in the short term.

Fourth, use your internal consultants and experts poorly. Of course, you can always
turn a problem over to an external consultant (remember, the cheapest!). If the
problem isn’t solved, then you can blame it on that person or company! If the
problem is solved, well, you have won that game! There are two interesting issues
about using consultants. One interesting thing about consultants is to check to see
what solution you are buying. Usually, it is their preferred solution, as most external
experts only come with a few tricks in their briefcase. That solution is supposed to fit
your problem…

The second interesting thing about consultants, is that if they are skilled, they will
probably want to look at the issue with a slightly broader perspective. Don’t let them
get engaged in discussing anything with a wider perspective. Keep them away from
others in the organization not immediately involved with the issue. The issue, the
problem you have identified, without any systemic analysis. Don’t consider linkages
and unintended consequences. Let them come in with something that is cheap and
easy. It is too troublesome to address broad issues, and besides, no one really
wants to make any substantial changes, anyway. Much better to patch.

Complex organizational changes are really quite a challenge. Outcomes are not
always assured. Pretty scary stuff. Fear is a powerful deterrent. When fear takes
hold, it stifles the ability to think rationally. And solving complex, organizational
problems demands rational calculations and analysis.

Lastly, you don’t know what you don’t see. You don’t see what you don’t look for.
Think of it as the "iceberg" approach. You have to look below the surface; past the
intuitive; past the first "blame". You have to approach organizational problems
systemically and systematically. That means questioning, analyzing, determining the
worth of problem and the value of investment to solve it. Then, you have to follow
through to support the change.

But, why invest that kind of time and money? And measurement of success? Too
complex and time-consuming; besides, what if the effort fails? How will you look
come bonus time? Better to just blame the (wrong) people and send them to
training. Then blame them again when the training doesn’t solve the problem.

Organizations come and go. The principles of how groups of people, organizational
dynamics, and change work do not. The vitality and strength of your company is
more than worth a serious consideration… are you practicing any of the ‘sins’? If you
are settling for ‘not sick’ versus vital and capable, then a healthy organizational
lifestyles approach may not be for you! Then it is best to just practice the 5
organizational sins that can erode performance. But to quote a long time friend and
judge J. Schroeder, “why was it so hard to get here? Because it was worth it.”

3
BIO—

Bio: M. Mari Novak joined KNO Worldwide in 1984. Her professional journey started with an
apprenticeship to an exemplary trainer – for swimming and water safety. The ability to
analyze the physical parts of the swim stroke and synthesize them for a specific body were
invaluable in understanding. Most swimmers spend most energy going up and down and
sideways, not forward. With this understanding and guidelines, and with a sidestep in the US
Peace Corps; Ms. Novak’s interests and projects broadened to include economic and social
development.

Mari has spent the last 15 years working with multinational and medium local commercial
clients and governmental agencies going through political, economic, and social transition.
She was on the Board of Directors of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Slovak
Republic for 5 years, including a 2 year term as president. She is currently researching both
the applicability of PI in the very different context of development and the effects and value
of the social, educational, and financial changes for women – without ‘ripping the fabric of
society’. She spends as much time as she can on a hot rock on the Mediterranean Sea.

Bio: Steven J. Kelly, Steven Kelly has thirty years' diversified experience in the human
performance improvement arena. He is a founder and partner in KNO Worldwide,
headquartered in Prague since 1991. In this role, he acts as a consultant to business and
government in Central Europe and the former USSR to implement human resource and staff
productivity strategies.

Steve has been involved in performance improvement and HR support for key clients such as
Citibank, KPMG, World Bank, AIG, PricewaterhouseCoopers, USAID, McDonalds, Shell, and
General Motors. In these efforts, he has taken the lead to analyze performance issues and
directed solutions by setting standards, improving HR systems, implementing training, and
insuring return on investment. Mr. Kelly has earned many military and academic honors for
his leadership and research performance. His visionary perspective and ability to build a
team quickly, while eliciting high quality performance, is well documented.

Steven has completed all coursework for a Ph.D in Political Science from the University of
Nevada, Reno, holds a Master's degree in Management from Pacific Lutheran University, and
was awarded a B.S. in Political Science, International Relations from the University of
Houston and a lifelong member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. He serves on the Board of
ISPI Europe and spent 5 years as a Board Director of the Czech – American Chamber of
Commerce in the late 1990s.

Contact them at www.kno.sk/EN or email know@login.cz .

S-ar putea să vă placă și