By
Bill Fields
Submitted On November 24, 2014
I was facilitating a team building session with a group of IT managers. At one point, I challenged them with the following:
"I have no idea what you do on a daily basis, but I would be fairly certain that you spend at least 20% of your time doing what I call stupid stuff."
As I surveyed the room, I noted that the participants were quite thoughtful, as they nodded in assent. All but one participant, that is, who emphatically stated "No!".
"No, what?", I asked.
"No. It's too much."
"Okay, then. 11.5%", I answered.
"That's better", he said, satisfied that he had resolved an important issue.
Fascinating, I thought. Here are a dozen over-worked and harried managers, who agree that between 11.5 and 20 percent of their time is being consumed by non-vital activity.
We could explore the definition of stupid stuff, but whenever I say it, participants seem to know what it means to them.
It could be:
- Feeding the monster
- Outdated processes
- Laborious reports
- Presentations
- Meetings
Although I prodded the managers to think about how they might get at this stupid stuff, they defaulted to claiming that they were too busy with more urgent work.
This brings to mind another situation with a different client. In a training session, we were discussing the importance and vitality of recognition, and how saying a simple thank you can mean so much. The group was purposefully comprised with participants from various work units.
At this point, one of the participants turned to another and said:
"You know, that report I send to you every month takes me at least half a day to prepare. You've never acknowledged my effort."
The second participant was dumbfounded.
"I've often wondered why you were sending me that report. The information is not very relevant.
The first participant became close to tears.
Both managers had assumed their positions within the last two years and had continued to follow systems and processes they had inherited. Neither party had talked with the other. The author of the report had failed to ask if the report was providing the right information, in an easily-useable format. The recipient of the report had assumed that it was being produced for other purposes and was being forwarded solely as a courtesy.
This, obviously, was a colossal waste of time and effort. As a consequence of this discussion, all the participants committed to meeting with other managers in order to clearly understand their needs and co-operatively develop relevant solutions.
Yes, everyone is extremely busy. The pertinent question, though, is Busy doing what? We all have to stop long enough to thoughtfully assess what we're doing, why we're doing it, and how we're doing it. Sorting out this stuff will free up more working time.
So, what about those IT managers? Why their seeming inertia to tackle the stupid stuff? My observation is that they're confused about their role, as are many managers. They are so fixated on pumping through work that they totally neglect their role as organizers of work. Their conundrum is that they're too busy to navigate process improvements which would create efficiencies and bank time.
The solution is to come to a full stop. The manager then can start to assess priorities for action. Within this context, managers can enable their teams to identify and act on improvement opportunities, while simultaneously maintaining work continuity. To support their success, training for staff, as well as facilitation, should be considered.
Effecting organizational change takes energy and commitment. The outcome, however, is getting rid of non-value activities. This will invigorate the workforce, resulting in higher productivity and increased commitment.
"I have no idea what you do on a daily basis, but I would be fairly certain that you spend at least 20% of your time doing what I call stupid stuff."
As I surveyed the room, I noted that the participants were quite thoughtful, as they nodded in assent. All but one participant, that is, who emphatically stated "No!".
"No, what?", I asked.
"No. It's too much."
"Okay, then. 11.5%", I answered.
"That's better", he said, satisfied that he had resolved an important issue.
Fascinating, I thought. Here are a dozen over-worked and harried managers, who agree that between 11.5 and 20 percent of their time is being consumed by non-vital activity.
We could explore the definition of stupid stuff, but whenever I say it, participants seem to know what it means to them.
It could be:
- Feeding the monster
- Outdated processes
- Laborious reports
- Presentations
- Meetings
Although I prodded the managers to think about how they might get at this stupid stuff, they defaulted to claiming that they were too busy with more urgent work.
This brings to mind another situation with a different client. In a training session, we were discussing the importance and vitality of recognition, and how saying a simple thank you can mean so much. The group was purposefully comprised with participants from various work units.
At this point, one of the participants turned to another and said:
"You know, that report I send to you every month takes me at least half a day to prepare. You've never acknowledged my effort."
The second participant was dumbfounded.
"I've often wondered why you were sending me that report. The information is not very relevant.
The first participant became close to tears.
Both managers had assumed their positions within the last two years and had continued to follow systems and processes they had inherited. Neither party had talked with the other. The author of the report had failed to ask if the report was providing the right information, in an easily-useable format. The recipient of the report had assumed that it was being produced for other purposes and was being forwarded solely as a courtesy.
This, obviously, was a colossal waste of time and effort. As a consequence of this discussion, all the participants committed to meeting with other managers in order to clearly understand their needs and co-operatively develop relevant solutions.
Yes, everyone is extremely busy. The pertinent question, though, is Busy doing what? We all have to stop long enough to thoughtfully assess what we're doing, why we're doing it, and how we're doing it. Sorting out this stuff will free up more working time.
So, what about those IT managers? Why their seeming inertia to tackle the stupid stuff? My observation is that they're confused about their role, as are many managers. They are so fixated on pumping through work that they totally neglect their role as organizers of work. Their conundrum is that they're too busy to navigate process improvements which would create efficiencies and bank time.
The solution is to come to a full stop. The manager then can start to assess priorities for action. Within this context, managers can enable their teams to identify and act on improvement opportunities, while simultaneously maintaining work continuity. To support their success, training for staff, as well as facilitation, should be considered.
Effecting organizational change takes energy and commitment. The outcome, however, is getting rid of non-value activities. This will invigorate the workforce, resulting in higher productivity and increased commitment.
Diamond Management Institute develops high-performance
organizations through strategic alignment, leadership and team
development, business process improvement, and customer satisfaction. We
are passionate about improving performance and effectiveness - for
organizations and for individuals.
Contact Bill Fields, President at 905-820-8308 or
http://diamondmanagementinstitute.com
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Bill_Fields/936591
Contact Bill Fields, President at 905-820-8308 or
http://diamondmanagementinstitute.com
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