Friday Reflections

Bust the Bureaucracy

 
 

Story Line:

A few decades ago, the CEO of a corporation was faced with a dilemma. The revenue growth was slowing from the fast pace of previous years, and the competition was intense.

Customer complaints about the quality of service were on the rise. He had also noticed that it was  difficult to get things done in a timely manner inside the company. So, per the advice of some close associates, he hired an external consulting firm to assess the situation. The external firm immediately went to work. They studied the situation in detail and reported the findings.

The report started with a punch line, “There is massive confusion amongst employees between things that need to happen vs. things that do not need to happen.”

After many pages of information in the middle, the report concluded, “The company’s operations have become very bureaucratic. This is not sustainable in the current market environment. The company needs immediate attention and a major overhaul.”

Alarmed, the CEO immediately launched a company-wide campaign. It was named “Bust the Bureaucracy.” He wanted “All Hands” to join forces in cleaning up the non-productive processes, methods and systems. “Scrutinize everything, don’t assume anything” was the directive.

To accomplish this massive task, a corporate level “Bust the Bureaucracy” task force was formed. This task force defined the overall structure for the campaign, top level champions, process and sub-processes team leaders and the team members. Suggestion boxes and “town meetings” were introduced for common, working level employees to have their say.

Now, some employees were intrigued that some of the higher ups (very high up) whose departments had a lot of bureaucracy had become the champions for this new task force. It looked as if the masters who had created bureaucracy had now become the champions of busting it.

But for those who had been around for a while, and understood the games that are played in such type of organizations, knew that “The Masters” had no choice but to become “The Champions.” That was the only way for them to control the work and pace of the various teams and also manage what was going to be reported to the CEO.

Before I get back to the CEO, let us also visit one of the sub-campaigns that started as a result of this program. Based on the employee feedback, the Champions had identified, “Are we having too many meetings?” as one of the ingredients to Bust the massive Bureaucracy.

So the General Manager of the division in the North specially called for some additional consultants that he knew in the South to address the “Meetings” issue.

Immediately upon arrival, the husband/wife consultant tag team began their work. They set up three meetings with each employee; the first one for introductions, the second one for details, and the third one for conclusions. On top of that they also set up group meetings to tap the combined power of the masses. Employees noticed that in each of those meetings, the husband asked questions and the wife made notes.

Finally arrived the day of reckoning. The CEO had decided to travel to every shore and touch every division to listen first hand to his “Champions” revelations; followed by the famous last words, “What are we going to do about it?”

The celebration, in other words “to ease the pain” session, was set up one Thursday in an external lodge with a nice dinner, to be followed by the General Manager’s presentation (or confessions, as some employees humorously called it).

There is an old saying, “After feast comes the reckoning,” and it was no different that night. The General Manager got up and “honestly/candidly” shared the task force findings.

To sum it up:

1. The division had lost focus on what the real customer wanted.

2. There were too many processes and systems that were set up with good intention of servicing internal needs, but instead they were hampering employees from doing their jobs. (Example: Changes required up to 69 approvals)

3. The people were very busy and stressed with numerous activities, but the output could not be linked to any bottom-line business indicators.

Some employees, while listening to the speech, even wondered why the GM was not taking protection under the Fifth Amendment. Of course, the candid GM also presented “Get Well Plan” and organization to address it.

Sequel to the Story: the following Monday, employees were summoned to mandatory “All Hands Meeting.” They were shocked to see CEO again, so soon, at their site.

The CEO started “I will be very brief. I would like to introduce …, who will be your new GM (#2) for the Get Well Plan…We wish well to GM # 1, who has brought us to this stage, for his services. He has decided to leave to pursue other interests.”

 
Reflection:

At the conclusion of “Bust the Bureaucracy” campaign, Mr. CEO replaced the managers of some other divisions as well. He had revealed in private to some people that he had taken care of the real sources of Bureaucracy. He felt that he had entrusted those fellows to run their business efficiently in first place, empowered them with all resources and compensated them very well. What had happened in the company should not have, if those people had not taken their eye off the ball from basics of running a business. He believed that they had violated his and the stockholders trust.

Games Indecision Makers Play

“You'll never have all the information you need to make a decision. If you did, it would be a foregone conclusion, not a decision” - David Mahoney

Storyline:

Deciding not to decide, in such a way that people do not notice, is an art. Here are seven games that are occasionally played in the courtyards of corporations when it comes to postponing decisions or derailing meetings:

Game 1: Ask for “more data”

A meeting is going on between the employees of a components supplier to review a major customer’s new requirements. The customer has asked for a one-day response on Failure Analysis (FA) of returned samples. The director of FA presents his current FA response time: 76 days.

Another director raises his hand and asks, “Does it (your data) include the weekends?”

Game 2: Throw (irrelevant) monkey wrenches

Ideally, create more work by claiming that there is “insufficient analysis” or by asking, “Have you looked into such-and-such area?” (However irrelevant it may be to the subject.) Other popular monkey wrenches are to claim, “We don’t have the authority” or to suggest that the decision be taken off-line for further discussion (even if the decision can easily be made on the spot.)

Game 3: We need to run this by so-and-so

Of course, that “so-and-so person” is not in the meeting, otherwise it would defeat the purpose of the game.

Game 4: Let people who have no skin in the game be directly involved in playing it

Involve a lot more people than needed for the decision. Then, try to arrive at a consensus with all of these people. A great example: instead of telling ancillary groups what specific things you need from them, bring them into the mainstream decision making process. In a sports analogy, this would be equivalent to a tennis player asking the ball boy to make the next serve, or a football quarterback asking the cheerleader to call the next play.

Game 5: It should not have happened in the first place

With the first sign of a problem, start questioning the sound long-term direction, perform name-calling, and begin the hunt for scapegoats. Spend time lamenting over the problem instead of spending time looking for the solution.

Game 6: Ping Pong Diplomacy (Agree with everything)

Even though the proposals and ideas may be diametrically opposite in approach or intended outcome, the team leader keeps agreeing with all parties: “Good idea” “Excellent Proposal”. Here’s  how this game (sort of) works:

Jerry’s proposal says, “New York is in the East.”  The team leader (supposed to be the decision maker) says, “You are right.”  Jack’s proposal says, “New York is in the West.” The team leader says, “You are right.”  Confused, Tim asks, “How can it be both?” The team leader says, “You are right.”

Now if someone is bold enough to question this further, the team leader would say, “Well, it depends where you are in the world. If you are in San Francisco then New York is in the East, and if you are in London then New York is in the West.”  But the point of the story is that decisions are not made by starting such irrelevant discussions - in reality you’re all sitting in Denver, so the answer should be obvious.

Game 7: Start a task force to improve the decision making process

Ideally, to improve the “decision making process”, have well known inDecision makers run it (and/or be the primary members).

Reflection: Many of us have played these games – as victims and perpetrators. An awareness of them is crucial to calling this behavior out and getting things done.  Challenge the indecision makers!

 

Bonus: Play your own indecision bingo!

Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.

Point to Ponder:

"If you ask me how I want to be remembered, it is as a winner. You know what a winner is? A winner is somebody who has given her/his best effort, who has tried the hardest she/he possibly can, who has utilized every ounce of energy and strength within her/him to accomplish something. It does not mean s/he accomplished or failed, it means s/he has given it their best.  That is a Winner."  - Walter Payton.

 
Storyline: Originally published on November 2008 under the title "Tough times do not last, but tough people do" - Repeated with an update:

In these times of global financial crisis, stock market meltdowns, wars and employment worries, I would like to share the remarkable life story of a "common" person that has been anything but common. Her friends and relatives affectionately call her “My Lola” (Grandma). I met her during my visit to Manila in 1978 and got to know her more during my expatriate assignment in the early '80s.  Here is her story:

She was born to a Chinese father and a Filipino mother. At the age of 12, she lost both her parents and was left to take care of three younger siblings. In order to survive, she started a small business: she supported the family by selling fruits, vegetables & fish to locals in the market.

During the second world war, most of the people in her town were slaughtered by the occupying force. She escaped death only because of the kindness of one enemy soldier. After the war, she got married and started another business that provided a comfortable, middle-class living for the next 30 years.

Sadly, in the mid '70s, a fire destroyed her home and her business. Before she could launch another venture, one of her teenage sons developed a rare disease and died, after long and very expensive medical treatment which drained the family savings. A year later, another teenage son met with an accident and died, while trying to help the family. One would think that this is enough misery for one person in one lifetime.

Unfortunately, in the early '80s, her eldest son and her husband died. She was left to support the three remaining young children by herself.  She learned to read and speak English while taking care of a young boy; she would make the little one read a book, and while moving her finger on every word, listen carefully and pick up the pronunciation.

Eventually she went abroad and for the last 27 years her life has turned for the better. Last December, on her 77th birthday, I asked her for a formal interview. After recapturing many of her experiences, and her creative approaches for surviving and eventually thriving in life, I asked her the final question. “What kept you going on in life with all that has happened?”

“Hope” she answered. “I never gave up thinking that tomorrow will be better than today and kept on going. Every day was precious and I gave my best efforts.”

Personally I have not met anyone who has been through so much in one life time. But what she said in her final answer is what I witness every time I see her. Last Sunday, I chatted with her about the current global problems.  She told me, “Trust me. Things will get better.”

UPDATE: The above story was published in November 2008.  Shortly after, “My Lola” (Mrs. Lim) developed some major health issues. In past two and a half years, she defied five calls by specialists for her demise and showed remarkable recoveries each time, to the surprise of all. Her willpower was inspirational to all who were fortunate to witness it. But today, her body gave way. During her life she fought every adversity/battle hard, never gave up and came through. And her last battle was no different. She demonstrated in all conversations and actions that she was going to give every ounce of energy she had and not give up on her own.

As one care taker put it: “They leave the way they live.” 

 
Reflection: from the poem by Gene Autry:

 “Now somewhere, there stands the man/woman

       His/her duty o’er and won

       The world will ne’er forget him/her

       To him/her we say, “Well done.’” 

To live in the hearts one leaves behind is not to die.