Org Smells: Part II
Four more common ones to look out for
My original post about org smells was so well-received that I decided to share a few more of the most common ones I see. A bit of background if you haven’t read that edition yet. Leadership is complex — there so much uncertainty and ambiguity, not to mention so many moving parts. Sometimes we get a whiff of a problem but struggle to identify the root. We tend to look to individuals as the cause. This is sometimes the case but just as often it’s organizational. These can be tougher to solve, it’s no wonder we hope the issue just resides in one person. If we don’t find the right root cause, we all suffer and puts our objectives at risk. Identifying and resolving org smells is some of the most important leadership work there is.
Here are four more common ones I see in my work.
A “productivity” problem
The team isn’t shipping fast enough — features, campaigns, projects. We put in place new processes and productivity tools. This might improve productivity. It’s just as likely there’s a problem at the org level. We may be prioritizing short terms wins over long-term sustainability. For example, prioritizing short-term wins over and over results in technical debt. The team slogs through a brittle system that's ready to break at any moment. This smell might also be covering up a lack of prioritization. Like another org smell, we’re taking on too much in too short a time frame. The team feels like a factory constantly working on overdrive. They become stretched and unable to deliver. Constant overwhelm is draining. High rates of turnover are sure to follow. Processes and tools are important, they won’t resolve a prioritization issue at the leadership layer.
Perpetual friction between areas
Friction develops as a natural course of business. Sometimes it turns into a hardened pattern making collaboration painful. We might chalk this up to individual leaders who are jerks or only focused on their own goals. Friction does develop because of rigid behavior and leaders who want to win above all. Sometimes company goals conflict, and people feel forced to choose the thing they’re measured on over collaboration. The company may simply have too many goals. Prioritization is a business problem but also an organizational problem. Our strategy may be fuzzy. A lack of trust means no one raises the issue for fear of looking weak or incompetent. The leadership team needs to build their relationship to increase trust. When leaders feel safe having healthy disagreement, conflict becomes less intractable.
A rise in negative behavior
Sometimes we mis-hire or someone turns negative. This happens. It’s tempting to see poor behavior as only an individual problem. A rise in negative behavior may hint at underlying org issues. During a big push, the company may have taken on too much. The team is burning out. If they don’t know how to ask for help or feel like they’ll get it, negative behavior results. There’s less compassion, more blame, becoming more controlling. Or, the company has gone through a rapid scaling phase. We’re so busy hiring and reaching objectives, we’re stretched beyond our capacity. With so many new folks, we haven’t quite transmitted our values to them. We’re stressed so we’re extra snippy with each other. Once isolated negative behavior became contagious, it spreads across the organization. Recognizing that our culture has morphed allows us to begin to reset and rebuild.
Managers…who don’t want to be managers
We’ve likely all had a bad manager. While they bare responsibility for their behavior, organizational issues can exacerbate the problem. There may be an assumption baked into the culture that to grow or succeed, folks have to become a manager. This indicates organizational needs like developing career paths for experienced folks who don’t want to be managers. Along with it, compensation plans and promotion criteria. This surface indication can also point to a pipeline problem. Companies that are rapidly scaling can fall into this trap. Leadership was so focused on results they haven’t identified and built capacity in people who actually do want to become managers.
By the way, a culture of poor management is also an org smell. An over-emphasis on results, or an under-investment in the management layer likely causes. This reveals a need for better training, modeling desired behavior, and clear expectations for what good management looks like. If we’re over-emphasizing results we need to look at company priorities. There’s also an opportunity to review our culture.
Org smells happen
There will always be obstacles and messes to clean up. Pain points are unavoidable, they’re a natural part of leading any entity. The key is identifying the root of the issue -- is it individual or organizational? When we confuse the latter for the former the problems feel like whack-a-mole. We experience extended pain. Recognizing system-wide concerns allows us to isolate and resolve them, creating a better work environment for all.
Until next time,
Suzan
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