Despite the lack of attention paid to dysfunction in management literature, there have always been dysfunctional people in our organizations, at all levels— from the highest levels of senior management to the lowliest subordinate. Their individual level of dysfunction, combined with their level of power within the organization, determines the impact their behavior may have […]

  In a fast-paced, market-driven organization, planning tends to be a bothersome task. If a written plan does exist, it was probably pieced together at a recent management retreat and is gathering dust on a shelf alongside plans from previous years. One by one, each well-intentioned strategy died a quiet death, drowned in a sea […]

Research shows that the primary reason chief executives and senior administrators fail is not from a lack of skills or abilities, but rather from not being aware of information that could negatively impact their organization. People at the decision-making level need to hear the voice of truth from those closest to the problem who deal […]

Which would you find the easiest to do? (a) Change your mind. (b) Change your weight. (c) Change your religion. The most obvious response is (a). But, if you apply a time factor to the situation you can see how your answer might be affected. For instance, let’s say that a while ago you agreed […]

When you set out to resolve problems that are outside your sphere of influence, there is often no clear place to start. Unless a particular situation is begging for your attention, start by making a list of outcomes where the results failed to meet expectations. Use the four-step, problem-solving guide as your template, filling in […]

Our education system teaches students to compete against each other for recognition and rewards. Having been taught collectively and tested individually throughout their formative years, graduates find the transition from learning to earning difficult because the teaching and testing processes are reversed. First-time job placements enter the workforce valuing only what they can do for […]

An organization without a plan or at least a planning process is not likely to update its vision, mission, goals and objectives, which means that there is no reliable method for Doers to establish and meet performance expectations other than by gut feeling. If management merely relies on the winds of fate as their guide, […]

Comparing the flow of information in a functional and a dysfunctional organization can best be illustrated by thinking of an hourglass. An hourglass is a device that measures time by the flow of sand between the upper and lower chambers. A narrow opening between the upper and lower chambers controls the flow. Imagine the hourglass […]

Despite the lack of attention paid to dysfunction in management literature, there have always been dysfunctional people in our organizations, at all levels— from the highest levels of senior management to the lowliest subordinate. Their individual level of dysfunction, combined with their level of power within the organization, determines the impact their behavior may have […]

What you do not know can, and ultimately does, hurt you and potentially others, too. Instead of keeping negative information hidden, what you want others to do is tell it like it is or at least let you know when something is amiss. Communicating honestly, even when it raises tempers, will ultimately pull people together […]