How managers and employees look at themselves from the outside to build the dream company
Miscellaneous / / December 27, 2021
Fresh ideas will help you cope with bureaucracy and absurdity.
According to Martin Lindstrom, a Danish branding and management consultant, companies are slowly sinking into dogma. To fix the situation, you need to look at what is happening from a different angle and return common sense to the organization.
This seemingly simple approach brought Lindstrom worldwide fame: Time magazine even includedMartin Lindstrom / Time him among the 100 most influential people in the world. The Dane's new book, The Department of Common Sense. How to get rid of bureaucracy, meaningless presentations and other corporate nonsense ”is published in Russian by the publishing house“ MIF ”. With his permission, Lifehacker publishes an excerpt from the ninth chapter.
The word "cage" is reminiscent of the black and white film of the 1950s called "In a Cage" about a prison with an aggressive warden and a thief unfairly imprisoned in a cell (perhaps that was too much). Also, "in a cage" is a good description for working in nine out of ten companies, whether they know it or not.
Perhaps this is also one of the factors contributing to the fact that about a fifth of all business startups, according to statistics released by the Small Business Administration, burn outPatricia Schaefer, “Why Small Businesses Fail: Top 7 Reasons for Startup Failure,” Business Know-How, April 22, 2019 in the first year, half of new startups fail within five years, and only a third of startups manage to stay afloat for more than ten years.
At least half of the companies in the world are in crisis - they just do not know about it. Therefore, my first task on the ground is not to transform, but to intensify need in them. And before we go any further, I want to share a study I read about in chickens.
The researchers housed a group of chickens in four separate cages for six months. When they finally opened their cages, expecting the birds to rush out in search of freedom, the chickens took a few timid steps forward and then returned. That's the whole "big escape". Scientists were very surprised by this.
In the second part research scientists tried to figure out how to lure the chickens out of their cages so that they stay outside, and decided that the best way to do this was to attract and reward them with corn kernels.
The researchers first housed four chicken cages in a small, enclosed space. They put two cages on one side of the room and two more on the other, a meter apart. Where should they put the corn kernels? In the middle of the room, at an equal distance from all the cells? Inside cells?
None of these strategies worked. The chickens stared at the corn in the middle of the room, but didn’t move. They pecked corn in their cages, nothing more. Then the researchers scattered the grains 3-5 centimeters from the edge of each cell. And soon the chickens dared to go out to taste the treat. This turned out to be what was needed.
In my opinion, this "chicken cell syndrome" illustrates that small, moderate changes really work. CEOs love to talk about the "big picture" of where their organization will be in ten years. But seriously, which of her employees is particularly affecting right now?
An ordinary employee holds his position for an average of no more than five years, usually working longer than the CEO and CFO. What if CEOs were focused on where the company would be in a year or two? This vision affects everyone to a much greater extent.
Chicken Cage Syndrome shows that common sense changes are best done in small, noticeable, immediate, immediate steps. If the proposed changes are too large-scale, bold or ambitious, fear of the unknown is only strengthening, so most companies, or rather their employees, will resist change and reject their.
For this reason, when I start working with this or that organization, I first of all try to activate the need for change. Where is the company clearly lacking in common sense? As I said before, in order to determine the degree of resistance to change, I talk with as many employees as possible. During these conversations, I usually show people a series of photographs that act as an informal Rorschach test.
One photo shows a man locked inside a cramped room who looks exhausted and claustrophobic. The other shows a mother and father actively gesturing and yelling at the child. «Which of these photos most accurately describes what it's like to work here? I ask. — Which one best suits the company environment?»
If the majority of employees agree that a photo with screaming parents describes the atmosphere in the company as accurately as possible, then we discuss with them what inconsistencies they see in the actions of the management and how, in their opinion, the situation can be changed for the better. These photos not only facilitate dialogue, but also often show and awaken emotions in employees that would otherwise be much more difficult for them to express.
As a rule, I ask additional questions: What is your first impression of the company after several weeks or months of working in it? What were you hoping to achieve or what contribution to make when you were hired? In addition, I ask employees about the legacy of change in the company. Has the specific project that you have been working on completed successfully? Why yes or why no?
Quite often I find that the person or team responsible for bringing about change has taken a distinctly non-standard path.
They took risks, broke rules, and undermined traditional thinking. I save these examples to offer as models that can accelerate the transformation of the company. After two or three weeks, it gradually opens up. real organizational structure. I am also beginning to understand clearly how the company is coping with change.
Typically, common sense problems are immediately apparent, although sometimes companies are reluctant to consider making even small, reasonable or obvious changes. I came to this conclusion during a meeting with top managers of one of the world's largest producers of drinks in plastic bottles.
We held a seminar where we raised the topic of customer needs, discussing how important it is to know and understand them. One of the top managers of the company raised her hand. She said that wonderful understands its customers, which has sparked the debate about the ubiquitous use of plastic, climate change and the factors that cause the greatest harm to the environment.
Somewhat unexpectedly, the top manager put the blame on consumers. “If people want less plastic in their lives, what's stopping them from just stopping using plastic bottles?” - she argued.
Startled, I asked her to explain her point of view. "Listen," she said, "nobody nobody does not force use plastic bottles. Each of us always has a choice. " I reminded her that in many parts of the world water supplies are limited and that in parts of Africa and Asia there is no alternative to water in plastic bottles. “Also, how about cheese with pieces wrapped in plastic wrap? I asked. "Is this also the fault of consumers?" “Yes,” she said. - They should not buy this cheese if you don't want to! "
It didn't matter what I said or how I objected. She was unwavering in her conviction that consumers are entirely responsible for the accumulation of plastic in landfills and oceans around the world. I didn’t agree. Doesn't she realize that her company makes plastic - at least most of it? My opinion didn't matter to her either. Neither of us saw the situation through the eyes of the other.
It’s clear that a top executive’s relentless dogmatic stance gets in the way of common sense, especially when it comes to consumer concerns about the environment.
But back to the concept of "in a cage". My mission is to get companies to look at themselves from the outside. Here are some simple exercises to make this task easier.
During the first exercise, which I was inspired by industrial designer and book author AIChE Bersel, I gather everyone in the room and, having handed out pens and paper, I ask you to draw a portrait of a man sitting near. If the task seems too easy or primitive to you, you probably have never encountered it. In order to draw someone's portrait, you need to look directly at the person's face, and the person who draws youshould do the same.
This gaze game instantly builds empathy, especially in a world where we are glued to our phone screens and rarely make eye contact with others.
In most cases, the drawings that employees hand over are just a disaster (they all look like some kind of sea monster), but that is not the point. The aim of the exercise is to strengthen empathy among employees.
In the second exercise, I hand out snapshot cameras to employees and ask them to capture something that indicates a lack of common sense in the company’s actions.
This can be travel expenses that the company reimburses for months, or a screenshot of the call center monitor, which shows that the customer had to fill out six different forms to cancel the credit card. Employees then post these photos on a bulletin board accompanied by a brief description of the problem, such as “One customer had to fill out half a dozen different forms and wait three weeks for our credit card to be canceled».
In two weeks, more than a dozen of these photos may appear on the bulletin board. I categorize them. The first is called, say, Lack of Common Sense in the Bill Paying Department, the second is Lack of Common Sense in Helping Clients in Crisis, and the third is Travel Approval.
That way, you can quickly identify where common sense is lacking in the company’s actions. Do you remember that ill-fated TV remote? If so, remember that the problems arising inside companies usually show up outside.
Then, using the photos on the notice board, top managers and I build the image of the ideal company - although, before than to do this, I tell them that first, of course, we must solve all the problems of common sense displayed on chalkboard.
As I explained, management and employees need to understand the agony of their colleagues and customers, whether it's a marketing executive who has exceeded the credit card limit. because the company did not reimburse him for travel expenses, or a hotel guest who, tired of a long flight, is forced to have small conversations with the employee at the counter registration.
An average employee has an average of no more than five years in his position, usually working longer than the CEO and CFO.
So isn't it better for the CEO to focus on where his company will be in a year or two?
How would an ideal company solve such problems? What one word characterizes the company's mission and clearly defines its goal? At Volvo this word is “safety”. On Google - "search". At Disney, it's "magic." The Dorchester Collection is "cult". At Maersk, it would be "one-touch" - a reference to a completely new way of interacting with customers. Swiss International Air Lines is "Swiss," and Cath Kidston is "carefree."
What word characterizes your company? "Responsiveness"? Cold-blooded? "Humanity"? Find such a word - and declare it. If it is “humanity,” strive to manifest it in all your meetings and at points of interaction with clients, letting this quality guide all decisions and initiatives of the company.
By choosing one word (ideally representing one or another benefit), you must raise the bar, improve the work environment and improve the interaction with customers and at the same time give yourself carte blanche for further attempts to create a work environment in which employees do not have to constantly search approval. Under the most favorable circumstances, "humanity" will become self-fulfilling prophecy.
In general, try to break out of the cage. Be human!
If you want to make your company more efficient, or just get rid of stupid rules at work, The Department of Common Sense is definitely worth considering. Martin Lindstrom will show you how to cope with corporate bureaucracy and defeat the absurd.
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