Unbounded Human Energy
All the matter in your body would fit on a pinhead. The rest is energy and forces. What do you think this means to how we manage people?
There is an unsailed ocean of human energy tied up and wasted in many organisations because of silos, unnecessary rules, regulations and other square wheels.
This Post examines options for liberating this potential and setting it free.
The results will be better communication, less infighting, more focus on the goals of the organisation and the liberation of far more human energy.
How organisations start
Many organisations start with two or three people who are enthusiastic about achieving an exciting vision, usually it's to do with meeting a customer need or improving humanity. The vision is clear and the energy to achieve it is sky-high.
There is an unsailed ocean of human energy tied up and wasted in many organisations because of silos, unnecessary rules, regulations and other square wheels.
This Post examines options for liberating this potential and setting it free.
The results will be better communication, less infighting, more focus on the goals of the organisation and the liberation of far more human energy.
How organisations start
Many organisations start with two or three people who are enthusiastic about achieving an exciting vision, usually it's to do with meeting a customer need or improving humanity. The vision is clear and the energy to achieve it is sky-high.
Then they grow
As time goes by more people are recruited to achieve the vision.
They grow even bigger and bring in the experts
Then they grow even bigger and decide to bring in management consulting advice. The consultants says: "You need more control, more structure and more rules. It's too risky to let people run free; you'll get chaos. Divisionalise!." Unfortunately, as the picture shows, this makes it impossible for the people to even see the vision. And the managers of each Division start to compete with each other.
Then they grow even bigger and decide to bring in management consulting advice. The consultants says: "You need more control, more structure and more rules. It's too risky to let people run free; you'll get chaos. Divisionalise!." Unfortunately, as the picture shows, this makes it impossible for the people to even see the vision. And the managers of each Division start to compete with each other.
It gets worseWithin each Division, people are further cut off from each other and the Vision by giving each person a narrowly specified job. Management says: "Of course we need jobs. How else can we hold people accountable?"
Each Division works like crazy on things that make sense to them but may not make sense to the organisation as a whole. Human Resources introduce work regulations and other processes. Strategy and Planning introduce Strategic Plans, Operational Plans and Budgets. Legal introduce laws and regulations. Procurement, Engineering, Marketing, Accounting and Senior Management get in on the act also. Before long, even if people could see the vision they are overwhelmed and don't have the time or focus for it or the customer.
I've been working on these issues since 1992
These are the issues I have been working on since 1992 when Virtual Group Business Consultants Group was founded: breaking down silos, building connections and trust, opening communications and reducing complexity by removing unnecessary boundaries, barriers, rules, processes and top-down management.
Virtual Group was launched in a pin-striped tent; our symbol of pin-striped quality, canvass-thin structure and total mobility. Our Vision then and ever since has been, "Liberating the Human Spirit at Work." Our motto was and continues to be "Wisdom Without Walls" - our way of describing unbounded energy. Today many of our clients want to work in a more "Virtual - way", including bottom-up, emergent business processes to support self-organisation and self management that liberates human energy at work.
I've been working on these issues since 1992
These are the issues I have been working on since 1992 when Virtual Group Business Consultants Group was founded: breaking down silos, building connections and trust, opening communications and reducing complexity by removing unnecessary boundaries, barriers, rules, processes and top-down management.
Virtual Group was launched in a pin-striped tent; our symbol of pin-striped quality, canvass-thin structure and total mobility. Our Vision then and ever since has been, "Liberating the Human Spirit at Work." Our motto was and continues to be "Wisdom Without Walls" - our way of describing unbounded energy. Today many of our clients want to work in a more "Virtual - way", including bottom-up, emergent business processes to support self-organisation and self management that liberates human energy at work.