From “What do you do?” to “What are you working on now?”
Published January 21, 2012 | 
When we meet new people, one of the first questions we typically ask is “What do you do?” This seems to be mostly an American thing (I don’t recall ever getting that question in Europe or Asia). Is it because we as Americans are so involved with what we do. In fact, we are what we do. I am an engineer. I am a manager. I am an entrepreneur, a store owner, a writer, an artist.
I have spent much of my career trying to get people to think differently about work and organizations, to move past the hierarchy and the notion of static jobs with rigidly defined roles that bear little resemblance to what people actually do on a day-to-day basis. I haven’t been all that successful and I’m thinking maybe it’s because our identity is so intertwined with our work that it’s like asking someone to give up who they are.
Or is it? What if we start by simply changing the question? Instead of what do you do? how about “what are you working on now?” Not only does the answer to that question make for a more interesting conversation, it also helps move us forward toward a project or work orientation, rather than a job or role orientation.
Why is this important? Because that’s the way things work today. Smart organizations know how to pull the right group of people together to complete a project, disassemble the team and reassemble another one to do the next project.
It’s much like the motion picture industry puts together a crew to make a film. It’s cost effective for the company, is more likely to lead to high performance work and offers a bigger payoff for those involved. You become part of a team, able to benefit from being a part of something bigger than you could accomplish on your own. You are able to see how and where you and what you do fits in and contributes to the end result. What’s more you have a tangible end result you can point to, learn from, put on your resume and talk about a cocktail party.
What do you say? Are you ready to redefine yourself and expand the definition of what you do into something a little more meaningful?
Roll credits!
Turning Organizational Models on Their Head
Published August 9, 2011 | 
What if you could junk your organization as it exists today and start all over? Would you choose the same people? Would you structure things the same?
If you could design the ideal organization, jobs, and work processes, where would you start? I’ve thought about this a lot, and here’s my answer. It’s a simple 3-step process.
1.
First, start with the organization’s goals and objectives. What is the vision of the organization? What are you trying to do or be? What must you do/be in order to succeed/survive/thrive?
2.
What kinds of people do you need to get there? What are the characteristics, qualities, values and skill sets? (notice the order, it’s important)
3.
What kinds of support structures and work processes support these people and enable them to do what they do best on a regular basis? (I’m convinced that if you can do this, you’re 90% there).
The traditional model of organization design starts with structure and fills in the pieces to match the structure. You start with an org chart – CEO at the top, COO, CIO, CFO, CTO, HR, etc. with previously defined and tightly confined jobs and roles underneath each of the CXs.
What I’m suggesting is we turn the model 180 degrees and start with people – the kinds of people we want in the org, THEN build the structure to support those people. Scary way to start? You bet! It’s much easier to re-purpose the old worn out hierarchical org chart and “standard” job descriptions, without thinking about whether they truly serve our needs.
But here’s the reality. Speed, innovation, impact – these are the competencies and success enablers of today. Traditional structures do little to nothing to support these. Hierarchies move too slow. Traditional job descriptions and work design keeps people in boxes, stuck in status quo and not able to respond to challenges and opportunities.
Bottom line: These structures were designed for a different time and place and are no longer effective. You have a choice. Recognize the world has changed and take steps to reinvent your organization to better respond to today’s realities or hold on to the old model and get left behind. It’s just that simple.
Culture: Critical Success Enabler
Published July 25, 2011 | My clients and colleagues are probably sick of me rattling on about the importance of culture, but I can’t help it. Darn near every challenge I’m involved in seems to ultimately come down to culture. Whether it’s attracting and retaining customers, doing more with less, planning for the future, attracting and retaining key talent or reversing the safety trend, culture comes up front and center as a critical enabler of success.
So what is culture? The academic definition is the “psychology, attitudes, experiences, beliefs and values shared by people and groups in an organization that control the way they interact with each other and with stakeholders outside the organization.” In layman’s terms it’s “the way we do things around here.”
Culture provides people with an answer to “What should I do in this situation? Say for example a customer calls unhappy with a recent purchase. The odds of the customer service rep salvaging the relationship and the customer going away a fan, versus the customer service rep making the situation worse and potentially producing an enemy, is directly tied to the culture of the organization.
What do you tell people, either explicitly or implicitly about how to view and treat customers? Better yet, what do you show or demonstrate through your own actions about how to treat customers?
What kind of language or tone do you use when you talk about customers? Do you poke fun at the saying “the customer is always right”, point out that customer A is looking to get something for nothing, encourage staff to look for ways to make it difficult to get out of contracts or return a purchase?
How do you reward people? Do you reward on short term or pennies pinched or do you reward for building and maintaining relationships that yield long term results?
The problem with culture is that almost everyone appreciates the importance of it, but few understand what it is or how to influence it. Beliefs, values, psychology – all big, scary words that most business leaders cringe at. What leaders don’t realize is the impact that subtle things have on the overall culture and performance of the organization.
Culture can’t be made or changed overnight. I could argue that it can’t actually be “made” or “changed” at all. Culture arises out of everyday events and behaviors. It is the result of actions and influences over time.
That said, leaders certainly can purposefully and strategically influence the culture. Decide what you want your organization to do, be or stand for, then identify ways to demonstrate the beliefs and behaviors that build the culture you want. Communicate purposefully and personally and communicate often.
Revisit job descriptions, procedures and unwritten rules for doing business. Make the implicit explicit. Create “room” and support for people to do what is right. Let people know when they’re doing a good job, celebrate small victories and take responsibility for failures and show how you learned from them.
It’s true, culture change is difficult and it doesn’t happen quickly. But the payoff is big, really big!
Want more ideas on how to make positive changes to your culture? Contact me (Pam) at pam@aboutpeople.com.
Pam in Washington Post
GOP's Primary Problem: Would you want to have a beer with any of these guys?
