#7: Why organizations struggle and fail

Remember August 14, 2003? On that day about 50 million people in the US and Canada had no electricity. The official task force blamed the blackout on overgrown trees.

But was that the cause or a nonsense symptom?

Managers are taught to think in terms of productivity and efficiency. The more you produce with less, the higher your productivity and your efficiency. However, no electricity does not really show zero productivity. It simply highlights the huge contribution energy utilities make to our quality of life.

I wonder what the linesmen would have done about the trees if they were taught to think in terms of contribution instead of productivity and efficiency.

That is why I say organizations struggle and fail when they focus on productivity and efficiency at the expense of contribution and effectiveness.

I’m james@nonsenseatwork.com

Copyright: 2006 James Henry McIntosh