What’s Wrong With My Organization

Change resistance or what exactly was a floppy disc?

April 24, 2024 12:00 - 10 minutes - 9.72 MB

In the chronicles of absurd parenting, my young daughter recently asked “dad, why do I click on that funny square thingy when I want to save my work on the computer?” I can only recommend: don’t discuss the details of data storage evolution with a nine year old—you have a vanishingly small chance of success. But it does make you ask: why are we still clicking on an icon image of a technology you probably can’t even buy anymore in our computer programs?

Radical transparency and accountability: do you really understand it?

April 17, 2024 15:50 - 12 minutes - 11.1 MB

For decades we’ve talked about democratization through digital media—the change in technology makes it possible for each individual to have a louder, distinct voice. Whether its YouTube or Twitter, the individual has a greater impact—and megaphone than ever before. Do companies, and organizations, really grasp what that means for decision making, that—until now—may have been considered internal or private? Let’s look at current developments to see what their behaviors show.

Where you lead, I will follow…maybe?

April 10, 2024 13:00 - 11 minutes - 10.8 MB

God save the queen. Or, wait. I think we’re now at God save the king, aren’t we? Recent events in British monarchy make for an interesting distraction in these turbulent times. Elizabeth was indeed the only person in that role, in my lifetime, so the changing of the guard does make for interesting observations. Who knew we British had such a collection of funny hats. As rather an anti-monarchist, I’d be curious to know if our in-house experts can assign a value to any of all of this.

Becoming a good leader is not easy

April 03, 2024 13:00 - 11 minutes - 10.4 MB

As a non-athlete I’m really rather fascinated by that coach on the sidelines in sports—what do they actually do? Some of them do shout a lot, and jump up and down. Does that really make a team play better? If so, how? And how does business coaching work: is there a lot of excited yelling in that too? What role should a really good coach play, or shouldn’t play?

Stop trying to build a faster horse

March 27, 2024 14:00 - 10 minutes - 9.65 MB

So, are we in the pandemic—or out of it? In a recession or not? Are you planning for disaster or rebound? If it’s a rebound, then what does it look like? Visiting a favorite coffee shop recently, and looking around at the neighborhood—it’s empty shops, sometimes an empty block—, it was hard to tell what any reasonable person should be anticipating—based on the small window that is my neighborhood. So, what are the experts thinking?

What’s wrong with my organization Introduction

March 20, 2024 18:11 - 9 minutes - 8.3 MB

An introduction to Org-ology and the field of organization development and design.

Are you sure that’s the right question to solve for?

March 13, 2024 16:01 - 11 minutes - 10.7 MB

Have you ever optimistically started out on a project—CERTAIN that you’ve got just the right idea. And then as you’ve gone along, you’ve ended up with a bigger problem than you started with? Today we’re going to look at that tricky question of solving the right problem. So, after our last podcast you sent along an article to me and I have to say. It was highly amusing. But I was fascinated that you felt it related to the workplace. It was about a prison in Rome. Can you sketch out what it w...

People or process? The difference matters

March 06, 2024 21:45 - 11 minutes - 10.5 MB

Do you ever have the feeling that UPS deliveries purposely leave before you have any chance of catching them at your door? Is it that the individual delivery person is out to get you—or do they have an algorithm cleverly planned to ensure you’ll always have to run after them? Some days it can feel like both. Let’s talk to our resident experts for their opinion—is it the people or the process?

Do you really know what you need?

February 29, 2024 02:11 - 10 minutes - 9.54 MB

We recently let friends stay at our place while we were out of town. It took a three-page single-spaced set of instructions to give them an overview of our place. And after their visit, I have the sinking feeling that there are still too many things I failed to mention—doesn’t everyone’s pipes sometimes rattle? Should I have said the fridge needs to have its door jiggled? This puts to mind that we really, often don’t know ourselves as well as we might. If we don’t know our homes, how well do...

Don’t believe the hype—think for yourself

February 21, 2024 13:26 - 12 minutes - 11.4 MB

Size matters. Or, at least, we’re told it’s oh so very important. That sends people to Walmart and Sams Club—to buy cases of peanuts and toilet paper. Or getting on new airplanes that can carry 400 people at a go. Size does buy advantages—but as a small business is that case of peanuts really what I need, for me and my business?

Gird your loins: planning for risk

February 14, 2024 14:00 - 12 minutes - 11.2 MB

I used to have a friend who loved it that when you walked through the city at night, you could see through your neighbors’ curtains and see what their lives were like. Yes, perhaps—somewhat nosey, but we do love seeing what others are doing behind their curtains. Let’s proverbially look through our neighbors’ curtains and ask our consultants what their clients are up to.

Organization design sized small, done right

February 07, 2024 13:34 - 12 minutes - 11.2 MB

Ah, summer. If you’re anything like me, it feels like the time to put your feet up on the lounger and lay back. Have you accomplished something this year? Haven’t you? It’s always an interesting time to take stock. Rather than self-reflecting and considering if I’ve been hitting my targets, let’s check in with our consultants on what some of their clients are up to.

Innovation theater: not the newest Broadway trend

January 31, 2024 13:08

Oooh. Wasn’t it exciting to see at the shops the other day: coca cola has a new can size. And Oreos now come in pink and green for springtime. Have you looked at these items and thought: how on earth did anyone think that would solve the world’s problems? Or, create a new market need? Does creating a new soda can size actually increase a company’s sales? What’s the value created by offering 12 colors of a consumer product, say a KitchenAid mixer, rather than 4?

Can you say that again?

January 24, 2024 08:59 - 11 minutes - 10.6 MB

Let’s dig in—is there an easy way to be sure you’re choosing inclusive, appropriate language? Ah, I’m sure we all remember some holiday, years ago, when the old, out-of-touch uncle tried using some more current language, and you cringed at the use of “groovy” or “clugy” or another such word. Words matter—and the right words matter. Particularly in the workplace. With the rise of a diverse and inclusive workplace, the cost of getting that language wrong is more expensive than ever. Is there ...

Building organizations that are authentic and effective

January 10, 2024 19:45 - 10 minutes - 14.4 MB

Cowboy westerns always had that charming phrase: meanwhile back at the ranch. What’s been going on while we haven’t been looking? So let’s turn from the larger global trends and ask our consultants: what’s been going on “back at the ranch” with their own clients? Anything interesting you’ve been experimenting with?

So you’re doing diversity, equity and inclusion: is it actually working?

January 03, 2024 14:05 - 10 minutes - 9.56 MB

It’s been a long time of reckoning and change for so many businesses around the questions of diversity, equity and inclusion. 2020 brought so many unjust social events that touched individuals and businesses: naming merely George Floyd’s murder understates and leaves out so many others. I guess now’s an interesting moment to look back at how organizations responded with D, E and I and A programs and ask: is it working?

Title: Please don’t make me work stupid: back to the office?

December 20, 2023 14:00 - 10 minutes - 9.71 MB

Let’s talk a bit about Zoom fatigue, supervision and measuring productivity. All questions that folk should be asking around this. Are we still trying to decide what direction we are going? What are we waiting for?

The brick and mortar of a virtual office

December 13, 2023 21:21 - 13 minutes - 12.1 MB

Ah, remember the days when you had that person who was “in the know” at the office? That person who seemed to know not just who was sleeping with whom, but also how to get a conference room when no one else could? That type of office knowledge has gone the way of the telex and the rotary phone—the answer is probably “we’re virtual now and there’s an FAQ for that”. It doesn’t change the fact that there’s a vacuum now, where helpful people used to be. It’s well known that nature hates a vacuum...

Lead, so that people will follow—a rare skill

December 06, 2023 14:00 - 10 minutes - 9.73 MB

East End gangster movies—I’m a huge fan. The way that things work as a team—it resembles no office I’ve ever worked in. Where’s the person taking over a meeting about a topic no one cares about? Or for that matter—gangster movies don’t seem to have any meetings at all, while my weeks are dominated by them. So I guess I’d like to know: does having a leader like one of the psychotic Kray brothers make meetings disappear and leadership run smoothly? Do you need an iron-like grip of an East End ...

Does staff have expiration dates?

November 29, 2023 14:00 - 10 minutes - 9.68 MB

Honest answers here: has anyone ever been motivated to go to work on Friday by the chance of having free pizza for lunch? Or that stale bagel for breakfast? If you happen to know who came up with that motivation plan, please submit your answers. Most folk agree that there’s a reason you’re paid to show up at work—and yet all the talk of work passion. If you talk to business leaders, they expect staff to see their work as the meaning of life. Can an excel spreadsheet be the meaning of life?

Does something outlive its usefulness?

November 22, 2023 14:00 - 10 minutes - 9.19 MB

We live in an old house—so old, that at one time we actually had a built-in ironing board as a “convenience”. Speaking as someone who hasn’t worn anything but a tshirt since the last time I was required to go to a funeral, it’s rather perplexing how that would be a convenience. I’ve become somewhat fascinated by these leftover things that change and time have left behind. I’m curious as to where our experts see this in organizations.

Define diversity—and think hard about it

November 01, 2023 13:00 - 12 minutes - 11.1 MB

About two years ago, in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, there was a wave of organizational engagement to build more equitable and diverse workplaces. As a small business owner I have to say—among my peers, that question seems to have fallen well behind other more existential questions such as fuel prices and climate change. So I’m curious—is this just where I sit? Are other organizations continuing down this path?

Did you fix the right problem?

October 11, 2023 13:21 - 10 minutes - 10 MB

I recently returned from a lovely holiday. Unfortunately my luggage did not—evidently it needed more time to unwind? Mind, I suppose I’m better off than many—at least I’m at home with most of my things. With this I’ve joined the masses of people separated from their bags. I’ve read that airlines are even renting entire warehouses to store them in. So—do we buy stock in warehouses, as we wonder where our things have gone?

Did you bury the body deep enough? Climate change says maybe not

October 04, 2023 18:54 - 9 minutes - 8.76 MB

Living here out West, we’re waiting to see what shows up next as the reservoir outside Las Vegas dries up and ever more crime scene remnants come to the surface. I’m sure that Greenpeace never thought they’d have an environmental case to make about climate change to mob bosses, but it appears they did. Climate change impacts are starting to realize in ways you never expected. What’s next for you, as a small business?

Blamestorming and the labor market

August 23, 2023 12:28 - 10 minutes - 10 MB

BLAMESTORMING. What a wonderful word—BLAMESTORMING. When we spend our time going round-and-round, trying to determine who to assign the blame to. Never mind a solution, never mind thinking about the questions. You’ve seen a lot of blamestorming going on in the labor and hiring market recently—staff can’t be hired, staff aren’t reliable, no one wants to work, why should you work from home when I have offices. What an awful lot of assigning blame, and not so much as a whiff of analysis. Seems ...

R U Relevant? Things move fast around here

August 16, 2023 13:00 - 10 minutes - 14.7 MB

Can you even remember where you were at two years ago, before the pandemic started? It’s been cascading slow and fast changes. Now magnify that perspective across keeping a business afloat. And. Most importantly. Relevant—do your customers still need you? Some businesses have navigated this change better than others. And quite a few have lost their bearings. Let’s discuss how some of them have missed the mark and are now struggling.

How do you choose the right consultant for you?

August 02, 2023 13:00 - 12 minutes - 11 MB

Any time someone buys a basketball or shoelaces from Amazon, we look at the product ratings—because why risk getting a sub-par basketball? So where would you look for reviews if you’re looking for a consultant? Is there such a thing? What should you be looking for if you’re looking for a good consultant? What makes them good?

Leading and planning in good times and bad

July 26, 2023 13:00 - 11 minutes - 10.1 MB

We entered 2022 with the hopes of a brighter, more optimistic year. Looking at the results thus far, there’s not much evidence to support that. Higher energy prices, global conflict and continuing uncertainty. So how do lead your business amid this uncertainty? What should you be considering when trying to find a strategic, and clever path forward?

More communications modalities, and more garbled communications

July 19, 2023 11:55 - 11 minutes - 15.5 MB

More than ever, communications are broad, democratic and open to all. Digital media has opened the door to everyone and anyone having access to tools that can launch new ideas to the world. Half of that communications process, however, is made up by listeners. Are folks listening to all of these new ideas? And are all of the modalities equal?

Goin’ to the chapel: org changes happen in churches too

July 05, 2023 12:00 - 12 minutes - 11.2 MB

200 year old church? Different or similar to perhaps one of your Madison Avenue clients or manufacturing? It’s easy to become focused on the type of work we do—doesn’t everyone work in an office? We lose sight of the vast variety of workplaces—ranging from operating rooms to barns to ski slopes. Or, in this case, a church. Our consultants just stopped in to check up on a long-term client of theirs: a church in the northeastern US, founded in the 1780s. What types of organizational challenge...

Begin the change process…with a uniform?

June 21, 2023 12:22 - 13 minutes - 12.4 MB

The proverb “clothes make the man” seems to go back to classical times. Yet a recent program in India seems to be revamping that idea to all new ends—instituting a new sort of school uniform to change the educational environment. How might this perspective offer substantive insight into your work. And perhaps a new tool for change management?

Is my org well-built…or Jenga?

June 14, 2023 20:53 - 11 minutes - 10.8 MB

Olivia Newton John proclaimed “let’s get physical”. To misquote her, let’s get technical. Two years ago, as the pandemic opened up, our consultants gave solid technical recommendations to their clients—how do I adjust my organization? How do I need to adapt? So now we’ll go in for a technical recap from our experts: what’s been adopted, what hasn’t?

Can I compete for good staff aside from on salary?

June 07, 2023 12:00 - 12 minutes - 11.8 MB

2021 has become the year of the Great Resignation. From Amazon to Zappos—from the corner shop to the biggest employers, this has been the year of challenges for keeping good staff. Or finding them. Let’s assume I’m a reasonably good place to work. What can I or should I be doing to compete, aside from offering money? What options do I have? What’s going to be truly innovative in trying to solve this issue? What do you see as the real motivator that staff are looking for, that will keep the...

It went viral: good or bad, do we see the right, underlying message?

May 31, 2023 13:00 - 11 minutes - 10.3 MB

All-things-viral—that are not COVID. On the positive this week was the wonderful way Lego responded to the customer who’d bought a $350 kit that was defective: Lego’s charming on-brand response to fixing their own error got them you-can’t-pay-for-that PR. On the negative was the finance group that fired 900 people via a mass Zoom call. Are we really grasping the underlying messages behind when things go viral? Do we get the important message or do we just get swept up in the drama?

Zombie organizations: not really relevant but not yet gone

May 17, 2023 13:00 - 11 minutes - 10.1 MB

Have you ever turned the corner on the street and caught sight of a business and thought—wow, that’s still around? What made that lone Blockbuster Video hang on in Oregon, long after it had lost relevance? Today we’re looking at zombies of the business landscape The last years have not been kind to many retail brands and you’ve come to expect to hear in the news that some other major business has failed. We’ve spent the last few years watching well-known brands—like Lord and Taylor—fail. An...

Dealing with this rather unique time in our employment market

May 10, 2023 20:46 - 7 minutes - 7.03 MB

As we continue the discussion around what levers organizations have to steer their path, Org-ology will offer some ideas around missed opportunities. What can, and should, we as employers be thinking about that we’re not? This is a rather unique time in our employment market. For the first time in decades staff are being selective. Regardless of what’s driving that shift, we as businesses will be asked to respond to it. Let’s jump in to consider some aspects.

Supervising in a remote world?

May 03, 2023 13:00 - 13 minutes - 12.6 MB

In this episode we continue our examination of remote working with our resident business consultants Org-ology. If it wasn’t bad enough having your supervisor looking over your shoulder every five minutes in the office, then what about asking you to keep zoom on all day while you’re working from home? Don’t they trust you? On a personal level it’s all very Orwellian, but on a business level, is ‘surveillance-supervising’ even effective?

Linking processes to solutions by design

April 26, 2023 13:00 - 6 minutes - 5.63 MB

Welcome to our third episode. And today we’ll be introducing you to the art and science of organization design – kicking off with the somewhat mysterious topic of processes. In last week’s cliffhanger ending Org-ology left us, with the idea that good processes are nearly invisible. I’d imagine that other small business owners like myself are somewhat baffled by that idea. So let’s jump back in and look at a bit more detail on processes.

Now add inflation to the mix

April 19, 2023 13:24 - 11 minutes - 10.3 MB

I can’t say I’ve ever much cared about inflation—or global currency fluctuations. Generally it’s not much of a topic for my sector, media, and not so much as a small business owner. But it’s certainly gotten our attention recently—whether it’s the way that prices have shot up at the corner shop, or whether my family can afford to visit from abroad. What’s going on here, and should I as a small business care about these changes?

Can you teach an old dog new tricks?

April 12, 2023 12:58 - 12 minutes - 11.4 MB

Recently I got some new software and it’s taken me a week to get it up and running. Ever so helpful, my teenaged child said: “dad—look at YouTube. It SHOWS you how it works”. It’s a miracle I didn’t tell that child about walking to school, uphill, in both directions. However—it did make me think about how we learn things—should I take a class? Would I learn something? And could it resolve why that software still doesn’t sync with my phone? Let’s ask our experts—how do you teach an old dog ne...

Wadda ya mean “strategic plan”?

April 05, 2023 13:10 - 12 minutes - 11.2 MB

Tho not a fan of American baseball, most people can embrace one of its most quotable players, Yogi Berra. Often attributed it him, the wonderful saying “I don’t know where we’re going, but we’re making great time!” More often than not, 2022 has had that feeling—and aren’t we supposed to know where we’re going? Shouldn’t I have a solid plan for where my business is going? Tho I’ve never done one, it’s rumored that every MBA teaches that you must have a strategic plan. So, what does that look ...

Big Pizza: your market changes around you

March 29, 2023 13:00 - 10 minutes - 9.37 MB

For decades, there’s been nothing more reliable in a crisis than a delivery pizza—working late at the office, ordered at 2AM at college or you’ve given up all hope of feeding yourself at home. It’s almost as reliable and universal as your doctor, your dentist or your therapist. And. Yet. Recently. I noticed—my kids don’t think “delivery” equals “pizza”. What’s changed?

Observing the military tells you a lot about organization design

March 22, 2023 13:00 - 12 minutes - 11.6 MB

Most of us prefer to learn through observing rather than experience—wouldn’t you rather observe a car crash than be in it? We learn from seeing others’ mistakes. Making big, strategic decisions can be dauting because you don’t know what will happen. And there often isn’t a chance to observe it from a distance. Where do our experts currently see things going, well—or, going pear-shaped—that we can all learn from. Rumor has it that you’ve been seeing some interesting organization design going...

Really understanding your staff’s work

March 15, 2023 15:44 - 11 minutes - 10.5 MB

Whether you’ve spent the last two years working from home or you’ve been a frontline worker, this has been a time of huge change in the workplace. There’s an enormous amount of disjointedness. Recently a Silicon Valley company re-instituted a program designed to address some of this workplace disconnect—and it has been decidedly a mixed success.

One Quick Trick to Losing Your Good Staff

March 08, 2023 13:38 - 11 minutes - 10.7 MB

Sadly, and again so quickly, we’re back at yet another Elon Musk-created debate. In his fascinating own twist on dynamic leadership, Musk issued a tantrum described as a policy—"return to the office as-of Monday, or consider yourself fired”. And again we ask—is there anything to learn from this? Are there generalizable insights from this? Is it an effective new school of leadership that everyone should embrace? Will workers comply? Or does it tell us more about how little Musk understands a...

Brad Pitt got bad advice?

March 01, 2023 13:49 - 9 minutes - 9.12 MB

Some of the best innovation in society or culture comes from enthusiastic people willing to take a risk. Those risk takers bring with them new perspectives and the momentum to try new things. As the adage goes however, well-meant can often be the opposite of well-done. What’s the equilibrium point between radical innovation and unintended consequences? And where does Brad Pitt play into this? Let’s listen and find out.

Is your IT system the tail wagging the dog?

February 22, 2023 13:17 - 12 minutes - 11.4 MB

Unlike the milk or yoghurt in your fridge, IT systems don’t really come with a sell-by date. We putter along—either with our computers, at home, perhaps until disaster strikes. Or we see something shiny and new. How about your IT infrastructure at work? All those platforms that make the backbone of your business? Should they have a proverbial sell-by date? Can you get along with old tech?

Org Risk and Strategy: Elon Musk as the opportunity you never wanted

February 15, 2023 12:46 - 11 minutes - 10.3 MB

Big things are afoot in the universe—climate change, war, a fundamental change in our work model. Too much to care about while trying to run an organization. And then. Elon Musk bought Twitter. Do I have to care? Shouldn’t I save my energy for those things that actually matter. Did we need this?

Exit Interviews: Ignoring feedback you spent money asking for?

February 08, 2023 12:00 - 11 minutes - 10.7 MB

No one wants to hear they have spinach caught in their teeth—either literally or figuratively. And yet we all actually do want to know that we’ve got spinach in our teeth—so that we don’t ramble on embarrassing ourselves. What makes it so hard to say these things—or hear them? Are organizations better at hearing this type of feedback than I am? I mean: they are paying for people to tell them these things.

Fossil Fuels: Greta Thunberg and Vlad Putin at the same dinner party?

February 01, 2023 14:00 - 12 minutes - 16.7 MB

When we still had newspapers, the joke was that yesterday’s news was used to wrap fish today. With one crisis following the next, it does rather seem that if you just wait a day or two, the next crisis will come along and turn into…fish wrap. Which ones actually are important, and are signs of important changes—things that you do need to adjust your business model for? Let’s take up the topic with our consultants and get some perspective on it.

What’s Wrong With My Organization

Episodes