Too Many Layers?
"Parkinson’s Law shows how layers make work.
"In 1944, Major Parkinson was working in a joint army and air force headquarters in England, dealing with a flood of vital paperwork from on high that threatened to engulf him. Then disaster struck. The chief of the base, went on leave. His deputy, an army colonel, fall sick. The colonel's deputy, an air force wing commander, was called away on urgent business. Major Parkinson was left to soldier on alone. At that point, an odd thing happened - nothing at all. The paper flood ceased; the war went on regardless. As Major Parkinson later mused: "There had never been anything to do. We'd just been making work for each other."
"There are three main benefits from reducing layers: layers make work, layers increase internal competition, and layers increase bottlenecks and these are the main reasons why people feel stuck (see Chapter 5).
"In 1944, Major Parkinson was working in a joint army and air force headquarters in England, dealing with a flood of vital paperwork from on high that threatened to engulf him. Then disaster struck. The chief of the base, went on leave. His deputy, an army colonel, fall sick. The colonel's deputy, an air force wing commander, was called away on urgent business. Major Parkinson was left to soldier on alone. At that point, an odd thing happened - nothing at all. The paper flood ceased; the war went on regardless. As Major Parkinson later mused: "There had never been anything to do. We'd just been making work for each other."
"There are three main benefits from reducing layers: layers make work, layers increase internal competition, and layers increase bottlenecks and these are the main reasons why people feel stuck (see Chapter 5).
"When B and C report to A it immediately creates internal competition between B and C for the attention of A. B and C also compete for resources, budgets, prestige, power and decisions that favour them. It increases politics, mistrust, fear and greed. It leads to silos that B and C build to protect themselves. This is unnecessary because, with training, most teams can self-manage. Chapter 10 has guidance on creating a self-sustaining system.
"It is important to increase reciprocity. Remove buffers that make us self-sufficient. Excess resources only create dysfunctional self-sufficiency.
"Reward those who cooperate. Blame those who do not cooperate. Blaming is not for failure, it is in failing to help or to ask for help."
End quote
This is an extract from my book: "Cracking Great Leaders Liberate Human Energy at Work" page 161.
"It is important to increase reciprocity. Remove buffers that make us self-sufficient. Excess resources only create dysfunctional self-sufficiency.
"Reward those who cooperate. Blame those who do not cooperate. Blaming is not for failure, it is in failing to help or to ask for help."
End quote
This is an extract from my book: "Cracking Great Leaders Liberate Human Energy at Work" page 161.