Schlagwort-Archive: Convictions

It’s not always a problem – for everybody

The crucial question is not whether conspicuities are a problem, but for whom and from when. The starting point for solving a problem is the moment when someone turns a circumstance into a problem. The example of the clever handling of problems has become well-known with the production system of Toyota. There, employees can stop the production line, if they recognize an error that can not be solved immediately. Of course, this requires a corresponding understanding of what a mistake is and the fact that the deviation is perceived and the employees consider themselves responsible. It already starts with small things. Although a broken pencil is not complete anymore, it still works. Not everybody bothers with the flaw, as long as they can write with it. And even if an issue is seen as a problem that does not mean that someone feels responsible and takes care of it. It’s simply not always a problem – for everybody.

At first a problem must cross the perceptual threshold of the people involved before they can take care of it. The level depends on commonly known mechanisms.

  • Influence of stereotypes
    General metrics should normally allow the early detection of problems. However, the processing of the parameters is distorted by supplemental information, such as vivid stereotypes, so that they get more weight than the objective measurements. If someone, who has an unreliable reputation, delivers the figures, they are recognized less than if they come from a respected person. Accordingly, not all problems become problems.
  • Influence of moods
    Experiences are deeply engraved into our subconscious mind. Every time something is repeating, the related emotional anchor is strengthened without us realizing. If we encounter a similar situation, these feelings are activated and influence our assessment. If a specific situation has already occurred more often without any damage, this can lead to the fact that the situation is not recognized as a problem. Accordingly, not all problems become problems.
  • Influence of similar circumstances
    An assessment never takes place solely on the basis of the current case. It automatically takes into account similar situations. The resemblance is a matter of the content, the acting people and the other context. Once you have found your benchmarks, you align yourself with the conclusions and results of these comparative cases. If a thousand times nothing has happened, when the signals went red, then also nothing will happen this time. Accordingly, not all problems become problems.
  • Influence of convictions
    The consideration of a situation is also naturally shaped by one’s own beliefs and mental patterns. It is very unlikely that people question their own values ​​and conclusions with an opposite assessment. As a result, you do not use the visible but conflicting information in order to show a problem just because they do not fit your worldview. The reliable friend does not suddenly become unreliable. Accordingly, not all problems become problems.
  • Influence of other filters
    Our attention is limited by many additional filters. For example, the latest information has more impact than older ones; or obvious arguments are more important than not so obvious ones; or negative are affecting more than positive ones. When an opinion has formed, it will be difficult to change it again. The whole culminates in what is generally called prejudice. The technician is then unable to understand the customer and the sales person lacks the understanding of the technology – which means that their remarks are not taken into account. Accordingly, not all problems become problems.

Bottom line: Problems are the result of a subjective consideration of striking circumstances, which are only considered delicate, when they exceed the perception threshold of the people. The necessary attention is influenced by stereotypes, moods, views of the world and many other filters. Only when these factors are overcome and a problem becomes, what it is, only then we can take care of solving the problem. It’s simply not always a problem – for everybody.

(Fr)agile

Companies that already exist and grew for a long time mastered many challenges – changed market requirements, new technologies, and various cooperation styles. Over time these companies developed a custom-made armor of rules and stipulations of organizational structures and procedures, which should cover, if possible, every eventuality. As the armament of a knight meant an additional weight of 30 kg, the enterprises also carry around enormous ballast of guidelines. Even if this armor is adapted to the proportions of its user, it limits the mobility and thus creates certain fragility. How to get rid off the “Fr”?

An armament consists of different metal plates that were forged for certain parts of the body of a distinct person – the helmet, the piece of chest, the arm things, the thigh cover, the elbow, the knee piece, the leg tube and much more. Also the enterprise develops internally regulations for its different areas. In order to become agile it is crucial, to consider the following aspects.

  • Vision
    The picture of an ideal, in the future agile state of the enterprise forms the basis for the renouncement of over years developed, detailed determinations. The vision is built upon the ideal employee conception, the other resources and the customer-oriented cooperation. The elements that obstruct this vision have to be dissolved.
  • Convictions
    All involved people developed by and by mindsets that disturb the agilization. The employees have to let the expectation go that they have to be motivated, trained and assigned from the outside. The managers must let go that they directly steer, control, and sanction the employees. The magic word of the future is self-organization.
  • Intrinsic motivation
    In order to keep the momentum in an enterprise, appropriate extrinsic rewards and incentives were developed – the payment, the bonus, the career, and the training. In self-organization other incentives that drive the employee from the inside become important – the satisfaction to accomplish an activity, to have a skill, being able to satisfy one’s curiosity or to be able to reach a personal purpose with the activity.
  • Trust
    The company owners have to carry out the greatest deal of trust. They can’t avoid to give up the direct influence and to believe that the internal society, the employees, steer the economic fate in such a way that the enterprise remains economically viable and lucrative. The confidence that the intrinsic motivation guarantees the necessary employee interaction and that way productive results appear spontaneously is the pre-requisite for the fact that the employees after all get the chance to prove themselves.
  • Organizational openness
    To open the existing chain mail, in order to let evolve the possibility for self-organized networking and team building, requires great courage. The corporate DNA is burned into the consciousness of the employees in such a way that it requires a large effort to get away from the cherished sense of security. One company and two approaches require neutral zones, where the employees can try themselves out, without having to follow the established, old way.
  • Governance
    The introduction of a fundamental set of rules that describes briefly and easy to understand the new principles, the ways of alignment, the common view and clear tasks, authority and responsibility, is an important pre-requisite. It is conceivable to introduce special areas, as China did with its special economic zones (e.g. Shenzhen, Hainan, and Hong Kong). In this area completely new approaches can be tested – Holacracy, pods, platforms.
  • Platform
    Self-organized units are focused on their topic. Repeating activities and generally needed services disturb thereby. For this reason, it is smart to liberate the teams from certain basic tasks. The bundling of these items in a platform increases the effectiveness of the units. In the platform you can find standardized procedures and tools as a service – IT, infrastructure, logistics, etc.

In the course (Fr)agility, the employees consist not only of the executing people, but also the steering ones, the so-called management. The upcoming loss of power that results from the self-organization is the largest challenge, since guidance results in the future out of context and no more from the classical career. The person will lead, who inspires and engages people at most and no more the best adapted careerist.

Bottom line: The (Fr)agility of companies is determined by the armament that limits the mobility. This includes the structures and procedures, the established set of rules that tries to regulate every detail. In order to create the transformation to an agile organization, it needs a vision, common convictions, an intrinsic motivation, trust, an organizational openness, governance and a common platform that is available for the agile units. The agility is threatened by those, who loose the most – the leaders. For this reason, they need perspectives that show them opportunities for survival.