Reorganization - The Ugly Truth

Congratulations! Your company/division/team has just been reorganized. You're going to be working with new people and taking on new responsibilities. You might have a new boss. Or your boss has a new boss. 

How do you feel? Are you excited? Concerned? Hoping that things won't change as much as you fear that they will?

Management seems to think very highly of the revamped organizational structure. They talk about opportunity and possibilities for growth and collaboration. 


Surprise! Surprise!

But consider this. If it really is good to undergo a reorganization, why didn't management tell you about it in advance? Everyone could have anticipated this with a sense of forthcoming excitement. "Hey! Did you hear? A reorganization is coming! We don't want to miss out on that!"

Of course, that's not how it works. That's not how it works at all. Management didn't tell you in advance, because reorganization is rarely a positive experience, and if you've every endured one, you're probably not looking forward to going through the process again. 

Your daily routine is about to become more difficult. You may end up working more and liking your job less. Colleagues whom you have come to know and on whom you depend will be moved around or let go. You might be reassigned to a new boss, perhaps a person who knows little about you.

Well, guess what? There's nothing that you can do about it. All of these decisions were made before you knew what was going to happen. The people who made them didn't ask for your opinion. Your work life is being altered significantly, and they expect you to accept it - at least long enough to determine whether they need to keep you on.

It's probably a good time to polish up your résumé. Because in addition to things getting more challenging, more changes will be coming. And then next time, you might end up with a target on your back.


Why Reorganize?

There are three main reasons to reorganize. When company wants to change its core business, it may benefit from subtle or radical restructuring.

In the 1980's, IBM was primarily a manufacturer of large mainframe computer systems. But the management of IBM foresaw a different future. IBM restructured and focused more of its business on technology services and consulting. 

When the technology bubble burst at the end of the 1990's, IBM maintained its business (and stock price) while many other "tech" companies stumbled. IBM's reorganization was a well-timed and well-executed success.

Transforming the business may be the best reason to reorganize, but it can still be an uncomfortable experience. No one likes to endure unanticipated changes. But change is often necessary. If your organization becomes more competitive and prosperous as a result of restructuring, that might work in your favor.


Cost Cutting and Downsizing

Sometimes companies reorganize in order to cut costs. They might downsize a less profitable division or combine teams in an effort eliminate redundant jobs.

Unfortunately, this means that some people will be left behind. If you make it through a round of layoffs, consider yourself lucky but only in the short term. Your number can come up next time.

If you are laid off during a restructuring or at any time, handle it professionally. It never helps to burn bridges. Accept what's happening and put all of your energy into finding a new place to work. Leaving your old company and making a fresh start might turn out to be a blessing in disguise.


Circular Reorganization

The third and final reason to reorganize is least productive and the most difficult to justify. Here's how it works.

Imagine a hospital with several different departments - orthopedics, obstetrics, heart and lung care, internal medicine, etc. Each department employs both doctors and nurses.

The hospital's administration does a study. Nurses in different departments do things differently. It's difficult to train someone from one area to work in another. 

The administration suggests the creation of a centralized nursing department. Move all of the nurses out of their individual departments and into a centrally managed pool. Individual departments will pay depending on how many nurses they use.

A key selling point is that the new structure will help to standardize practices across departments. All of the nurses will be taught to do things in the same way. They'll be able to cover shifts in different departments and change departments altogether if they so choose. This will reduce burnout and increase the experience level of nurses throughout the hospital.

The change is implemented, but after a while, some of the departments beging to complain. The nurses that they trained have been moved into other roles. The new nurses require more training and observation. The doctors complain that they are paying more money for a lower level of service.

New administrators take over and promise a solution to the doctors' concerns. They move most of the nurses out of the centralized nursing department and put them back into individual departments.


Great Waste

The first set of hospital administrators boasted on their résumés that they increased efficiency and effectiveness by creating a centralized nursing department.

The second set of administrators boasted that they increased efficiency and effectiveness by decentralizing nurses and moving them back into the departments.

Both can make a case for what they did. But in reality, did the hospital run any more smoothly either way? Did the patients receive better care either way? 

The nurses still worked hard every day caring for patients regardless of their reporting structure. 

The only people who really benefitted from the various attempts at reorganization were where administrators. Restructuring departments gave them something to do, something to make them feel important, and something to put on their résumés. 

Even if reorganization didn't accomplish anything important, it sounded nice.



Bottom Line

Reorganization is a reality of corporate life. Sometimes it fulfills a clear and vital purpose, and sometimes, it's just a big waste of time. 

In nearly every case, however, even when it's a good idea, reorganization creates stress, confusion, and additional burdens for the work force. Reorganize if you must, but accept that reorganization is more than moving boxes around on an org chart. 

There is a real human cost to restructuring. Think carefully before asking your people to assume that cost.



Copyright © 2014 www.corporateabsurdity.com 
All Rationality Reserved 

A Brief History of Wasting Time

How To Avoid Results and Not Get Much Done Without Really Trying 


Time is our most precious resource. Once spent, it can never be recovered. Time cannot be manufactured, mined, or synthesized from component elements. A day cannot be expanded, an hour stretched, a minute slowed down to last longer. And you can't run to the bank to borrow and extra 50,000 hours for a big project.

The time that we have is ALL that we have. And yet, how often do we use time to its best advantage? 


Down Time

Each of us needs time to rest, relax, and refresh our minds and bodies. This so-called "down time" - time spent on sleep, exercise, recreation, and connection with loved ones - is not a waste. It shouldn't be hurried or sacrificed. 

Time spent on refreshment and revitalization is an essential partner of the time that we spend being productive, i.e., the time that we use to accomplish things. Without adequate rest and relaxation, we cannot maintain our energy level or our mental clarity. We need energy and clarity in order to meet our obligations and accomplish objectives.


Productive Time

Productive time is the time that we dedicate to getting things done or for preparing to do the same. Here are some examples of productive time. I am listing them in reverse order to show their hierarchical relationship.

- Time spent solving a problem for a client.
- Time spent making a presentation to the client.
- Time spent developing the presentation.
- Time spent doing research in order to understand what the client needs and what to offer.
- Time spent acquiring the skills that enable us to help the client.
- Time spent setting up and managing a business that helps clients.


Wasting Time

We waste our Productive Time when we don't use it to its optimal benefit. There are two ways to waste time. 

Time Wasting Strategy 1 

We can spend time on something that's unrelated to accomplishing our objective - gossip, gaming, non-essential internet surfing, rehashing sporting events or television programs, etc.

Time Wasting Strategy 2 

The second way to waste time is to spend it working inefficiently. Through lack of planning, understanding, insight, or communication, we can waste time even when we think that we are being productive and effective. 


Focus and Awareness

It's easy to waste time when we lack focus or fail to maintain an awareness of its importance. Here's a common situation. I've witnessed similar activity countless times.

Mr. Latecomer arrives at the office at a leisurely hour (i.e. considerably later than the official office starting time). A few minutes later, a colleague ask the latecomer for assistance with something.

"I can't talk to you right now," insists Mr. Latecomer. "I'm working on a deadline." The colleague returns to his desk empty handed.

Thirty minutes later, someone in the office mentions they're vacation plans. It turns our that Mr. Latecomer has vacation time scheduled, so he joins into the conversation for several minutes.


Time for a Lesson

Mr. Latecomer was acting without focus. If he had been more aware of time and it's impact on the productivity of the team, he might have reached one or more of the following conclusions.

1. If you're working against a pressing deadline, try to arrive promptly rather than strolling into the workplace at a leisurely hour.

2. If you arrive at a leisurely hour, don't make excuses about how busy you are when someone asks for assistance.

3. If you're too busy to help a colleague with a work-related request, don't waste the time by joining off topic conversations.


Institutionalized Time Wasting

Sometimes policies backfire. A department might believe that it can save money by reducing the number of administrators on staff. But the result is that more highly paid workers will have to spend more of their day handling administrative tasks. 

It doesn't make sense to have highly paid engineers or sales reps spend time filling out expense reports. They should focus on the work that they were hired to do. And yet, many companies reduce administrative support to save the expense of a modest salary. It's inefficient to put it mildly.


Ye Olde Car Service Scam

Corporations enact unproductive policies, but employee abuse of those policies by employees is also a problem. A notable example involves car service.

In larger cities, many employees take mass transit to the office. Sometimes business requires employees to work late when bus or train service becomes more limited.

In these cases, employees can book a car service to take them home. (This is similar to having a car pick you up at the airport.)

If an employee works past a certain hour (typically, 8 pm, but some companies have moved this up to 9), they are allowed to ride home using a car service. The company pays the bill for the ride. But is the expense justified?

Did the employee really need to work this late? Were other options feasible, such as commuting at a normal hour and working from home? Could they catch up on their work the following morning? Or could they have gotten more done during normal business hours if they had used their time more wisely?

The car service abuser is a busy person. At 5:30, they're still working hard - when they're no boasting to fellow employees about how late they'll need to work.

By 6:00, the employee has slowed down a bit due to fatigue. They take a short break to call their family, to let them know that they'll be working late and that they'll come home via the car service. "Don't wait for me! Go ahead and have dinner. I'll be late."

Ah, dinner! Even busy people get hungry. By 6:30, the late-working employee has looked through a drawer full of menus and placed an order for take out. At seven, they're in the lobby waiting for the food delivery to arrive. From seven to seven-thirty, the employee enjoys their dinner while glancing at their computer screen half-heartedly.

At 7:30, they wash their hands, use the rest room, and place one last call to the family to let them know that they'll be leaving soon. 

And what do you know? It's time to pack up and get to the car!

Car service isn't cheap. What does the company gain in return for having a limo driver usher Mr. Busy back home to the suburbs? At best an extra sixty to ninety minutes of effort from an already tired employee who could just as easily have completed the same amount of work from the comfort of home.


Environmental Time Wasting

External events and conditions can inspire time wasting, as well. People discuss the Olympic Games, the Super Bowl, and the World Cup at length in the office. Ditto the World Series and the Academy Awards. Workers spend time on office pools during football season and college basketball's March Madness.

Companies aren't responsible for these events, but they do occur, and they dominate people's attention when work would otherwise be getting done.


Boom and Bust

The Internet boom of the late 1990's and early 2000's was worst environmental time wasting phenomenon that I have ever witnessed. It surpassed the impact of the Olympics, the Super Bowl, the World Cup, political conventions, royal marriages, and everything else fifty fold.

Office workers monitored their portfolios all day long. Today, we complain when someone is texting rather than paying attention to what we say. During the "dot com" boom, people had one eye trained on their stock positions and their pending trades virtually at all times. It was out of control.

People used to daydream about joining a successful start up company or making enough through "day trading" to stop working for a boss altogether. 

Everyone seemed to know someone who knew someone with stock options that were worth "a paper million" - even though very few people actually sold the options and realized windfalls of such magnitude. "We would all soon be rich!" thought the conventional wisdom. It was only a matter of time.

Of course, the overhyped, over-inflated market eventually collapsed and crashed. Portfolios that were once apparently rocketing toward the stratosphere were now sinking rapidly into quicksand. Workers lost interest in market updates and financial reports when the news was no longer euphoric. Day trader envy disappeared overnight.

It's easy to become captivated by compelling environmental conditions. It's easy to be driven to distraction, especially when everyone in the office is riding the same bandwagon and sipping the same Kool-Aid.


Tempus Fugit

Time management is a vast and complex topic. I could list countless anecdotal examples of time wasting activities that I've witnessed in the workplace. But let's table that discussion until another day. I wouldn't want to waste your time.



Copyright © 2014 www.corporateabsurdity.com 
All Rationality Reserved 

The Bourne Organization

What Spy Thrillers Can Teach Us About Companies, Colleagues, and Careers

- There's always a hidden agenda. Always.

- Just because your program is productive and well-funded doesn't mean that your job is safe.

- It's possible to oust bad management, but more bad management is waiting to take over.

- Doing the right thing may be hazardous to your career. The safe route is to continue to do the wrong thing and to say nothing about it. 

- Personal relationships always suffer in the end.

- When the organization decides that they don't need you anymore, notification will be sudden, merciless, and irrevocable.

- No one is watching out for your best interest, except maybe some earnest, soft-spoken, low-ranking assistant who secretly thinks that you're amazing.

- Your friends don't have the power to protect you. 

- The company can train you to do all sorts of impressive things, but they can't train you to enjoy your job.



Until next time: keep your spirits high, your stress levels low, and laugh as often as possible.

Copyright © 2014 www.corporateabsurdity.com 
All Rationality Reserved 

The 168-Hour Work Week

When I was a boy, everyone was excited about the promise of emerging technology. We were sending astronauts into space, and man was well on his way to the grand prize of walking on the moon. It seemed as though nothing was impossible.

Futurism was our passion. We imagined a time when ingenious, intelligent devices would enhance our lives in limitless ways. Machines would handle the most tedious and dangerous tasks, and we would have more time for leisure and relaxation. 

Those fantastic, futuristic machines did emerge as promised, but they didn't save us time and labor as expected. Life is busier today than it was in my boyhood at the dawn of the Space Age. People work very hard, and free time is scarce.


Unintended Consequences

Two trends began to blossom in the 1980's - the miniaturization of technology and the popularization of interactive wireless communications. 

The advent of the laptop computer (and more recently the tablet) meant that we could take our work along with us wherever we went. Pagers (and later Blackberries and smart phones) enabled our offices and our clients to contact us at any time of day regardless of our location. Now, even when we are in transit we are reachable.


Redefining the Workplace

Traditionally, work was associated with a place. We "went" to work. We joined our colleagues at an appointed time in a place where the work could be done efficiently. And then we left work, and we didn't think about it until our next shift was about to begin. 

Now, work is ubiquitous and inescapable. 

- We are expected to produce work through the weekend and during the evening hours.

- We are expected to monitor our email inboxes around the clock.

- We are expected to meet regularly with global colleagues regardless of time zone differences.

- All of the functions that we perform in the office, we are expected to be able to do at home or on the road.

- We are expected to drop everything in our private lives anytime an issue threatens to delay or defer the company's ability to generate income. 

The telephone rings in the middle of the night. No one thinks twice about waking us up. When problems have to be addressed, the company expects "all hands on deck" no matter what time it is.

When that call comes in, we are expected to rise from a deep sleep and perform immediately and flawlessly. We might be asked to answer a complex business question or resolve a pressing technology problem. And then, of course, we are expected to show up at work by nine o'clock the next morning, ready to tackle a full day of challenges. 

The human body isn't well-suited to handle this kind of stress on a regular basis. I once went through a stretch where I received telephone calls at around 3 in the morning every night for three months. I was on the verge of collapse. But compared to my colleagues, I had a relatively light schedule. I worked with folks who fielded multiple calls every night, and this went on for years. I have no idea how they survived, but I can assure you that they weren't happy about it. And neither were their spouses. I felt bad about complaining when other people were being put through so much worse.


Time Off

Work now stretches into our planned time off and interrupts important events. People take their laptops with them on vacation - it's expected by their management. Leaving the laptop at home is not an option.

"Work calls" intrude upon every moment of our lives - dinners, weddings, your child's performance in the school play - and we are expected to take those calls, stay on the line for as long as we are required, respond immediately to every demand that's made, and follow up with additional telephone calls as necessary. Of course, you'll be expected to have your laptop handy so you can work on the solution in real time. Never mind that your niece is about to walk down the aisle. Tell the family that you have to take a conference call.


First Right Of Refusal

What option do you have? Are you willing to refuse to take that call? Turn off your phone? Say, "No, I'm sorry, but I don't want to be contacted while I'm on my honeymoon?"

Good luck with that!

It might be okay. Depending on your boss's demeanor, you might actually get away with it. But even if he doesn't get upset with you, the incident will be remembered. 

Months from now, when he sits across from you in that sterile little conference room to discuss your annual review, he'll remember the time that you turned off your phone and didn't respond for three hours. Never mind that your kid was playing in the Little League World Series that day. He won't remember those details. He'll only recall that you weren't available when he tried to phone. Five times. And then had to explain to HIS boss that he wasn't able to get in touch with you.

And when HIS boss gets called into that secret meeting where they look over the roster of people in the department and decide who might make a good target for upcoming layoffs, your name will pop out of the list. 

"Oh yes! That slacker who doesn't return phone calls during times of imminent crisis."


Beating The Odds

Of course, we're assuming that you boss isn't a control freak. Or has a passive aggressive streak. Or anger management issues. 

If you work for a hot head, the consequences of not taking that call will be more immediate and confrontational. Prepare for an over the phone tongue lashing at the very least. Or a stern lecture from a red-faced manager with veins popping out of his head. 

In that case, you might not want to return to the office at all. Telephone the admin and ask them to pack up your desk and send the personal items via FedEx. I'm kidding, of course, but I've been in situations where disappearing altogether might have been the least miserable option.

But hey, not to worry! You're probably in luck. Surely, there can't be that many control freaks, passive aggressive bosses, and foaming hot heads in corporate management. I would estimate that you have at least a fifty percent chance that your boss isn't emotionally unstable.


Until next time: keep your spirits high, your stress levels low, and laugh as often as possible. 

Copyright © 2014 www.corporateabsurdity.com 
All Rationality Reserved 

In Our Own Image

God made man in His own image, but something went awry.

Man made the corporation in HIS own image - greedy, short-sighted, well-meaning, petty, delusional, disorganized - and just about everything went awry.

Corporations have been responsible for some of mankind's greatest achievements - ship building, railroads, telecommunications, the automobile, affordable air travel, vaccines, and the personal computer. 

Corporations are also responsible for toxic waste, environmental disasters, strip mining, deforestation, fast food, junk food, and a number of harmful medications.

I have been a member of corporate society for decades. I have worked for more corporations than I can count on my fingers. The experience has been enjoyable most of the time, silly some of the time, and downright shameful on occasion. 

Corporations, like the people who manage and work in them, are complex, amazing, unpredictable, and full of quirks and annoyances.

Here, we'll explore the fine lines between productivity and insanity, between innovation and ineptitude, between teamwork and turf wars, between vision and hubris, resolve and insolvency, between keeping things running and running the operation into the ground. 

Think of this blog as a regularly scheduled conference call for discussing everything about corporations that should work better but doesn't - including the people who use the office phone to call overseas relatives and that sloppy-looking fellow who waits for your meetings to let out so he can help himself to free refreshments.

After the beep, please state your name followed by the pound key.


Until next time: keep your spirits high, your stress levels low, and laugh as often as possible.

Copyright © 2014 www.corporateabsurdity.com 
All Rationality Reserved