Category: management

The janitor story

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The author of True to Our Roots provides a great story about the power of motivation in the workplace. The context of the story revolves around the power of creating the right environment where people feel they are obtaining much more than a paycheck. (I plan to write some more on this topic after I’m finished with True to Our Roots.) Here’s a paraphrased version of the story.

A management consultant has been brought into a hospital to look for ways to improve processes, productivity, etc. The consultant interviews all the doctors, nurses, HR staff, and etcetera for weeks. As he’s leaving one Friday, he notices a janitor mopping the floors near the elevator. Debating whether to even talk to the janitor, the consultant stops and asks him the opening question that he has used with all of the other staff. The question is simply to explain what role the person plays at the hospital. The janitor stops and thinks for a moment, and then says, “I help Doctor Johnson save lives.”

While a much more animated version of the story is described by the author, the point is incredibly clear, almost inspirational. It also provides a sharp reminder that we should look for things like this in our own work routines or find other means to accomplish what’s important to us as individuals.

Outsiders

mikelunt4 Comments

If progressive process change is getting bogged down in an organization, one of the remedies to consider is bringing in outsiders. Most likely, these people from outside the company are either contractors or some other sort of consultants in a particular area. Another approach could be bringing in a new manager or other expert into the company as a full time employee. It’s amazing to see how people within the organization will accept the advice of a new voice, even if the message is exactly the same as a previous champion of the change from within the company. (I could write a novel about the reasoning for this, but I’m sure every dear reader has their own story to relate.)

Companies that create an environment of continually promoting change have less of a need for these outsiders; however, it’s sometimes difficult to determine that healthy new ideas are not being promoted when observing from the inside. The key to getting outsiders into the organization is to justify the ROI because of the expense that’s often required; however, in some cases, consultants will perform some free sampler training or consulting in order to get more business if the ideas are accepted.

Changing managers

mikelunt1 Comment

Over the years, I’ve heard many a person grumble about having to change managers, either due to organizational changes or natural attrition. I found it interesting that the author of The Fiefdom Syndrome actually promotes the systematic changing of managers and directors at periodic intervals. Using a system such as this prevents people from hiding within an organization and allows fresh eyes to look at old problems. As the title suggests, it also decreases the possibility that fiefdoms will occur within an organization and base their actions on self-survival while costing the company as a whole.

When I first heard this, I was somewhat opposed to this idea, but after thinking about it more, I can see certain situations where this might make sense. A lot of employee surveys I’ve seen state the number one reason for quitting was due to a bad manager, and this option might help while improving the business in other ways. At a minimum, organizations, large and small, should be on the lookout for situations where groups have taken on a “life of their own” within the larger organization and consider this as one possible option.