Final batch of signs of a failing organisation

Management — 15 April 2007

Here’s the final batch of signs of a failing organisation.

Empowerment is a pronouncement not a practice frontline people are afraid of making decisions without approval, this slows things up, and irritates customers.

Employees are ‘managed’ or judged by people not competent to do so

Problem people or issues are left untouched, meaning that conflict is avoided at all costs, instead of being managed positively.

Former employees wouldn’t return for any money.

Employees talk about the organisation in terms of ‘them’ and ‘they’ instead of ‘we’ and ‘us’.

Managers only manage people as well as they themselves are managed too often not very well. This means a negative spiral of poor management develops – hard to break.

Hidden agendas proliferate, and internal politics drain time and energy.

The arrival of really effective, ‘wave-making’ people is treated with derision by a significant number of people who decide to ‘ride him or her out’, and who keep their heads down, and wait for them to leave – ‘it won’t take long’ – and for things to revert to normal.

Employees are asked to do things near to, or beyond the limits of their ability without support and encouragement needed.

Senior management abuse their positions by (in the eyes of employees), going on ‘jollies’, or spending large sums on themselves. This is particularly galling when wage restraint and cost cutting is being trumpeted by those same senior people.

Next week we will be starting a series on basic training design and how to put together a training course

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