Why do People and Organizations Produce the Opposite of What they Intend?
August 2, 2010 · Print This Article
| Title: | Why do People and Organizations Produce the Opposite of What they Intend? |
| Authors: | Roger L. Martin, M.BA. Dean, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto Mary Ann Archer, Ed.D. Principal, Archer/Henderson and Associates Loretta Brill, M.Sc. Partner, Infinity Consulting Team Ltd. |
| Published by: | The Walkerton Inquiry |
This summary is meant to highlight the salient points and our thinking on the subject. Please feel free to add your own reading and thoughts in the comments section. Enjoy!
In May 2000 seven people died and hundreds were sickened in Walkerton when the water supply of this small Ontario town was contaminated with E. Coli and Campylobacter jejuni bacteria.
This paper was commissioned by the Walkerton Inquiry set up to investigate. Rather than focus on the organizational failings that led to the tragedy itself, the authors discuss modern organizational theory in general.
The questions posed in the paper are reminiscent of those asked by many CEOs and sales leaders:
- What causes a well-intentioned organization to make decisions that lead to disastrous results?
- Why do good people appear to produce bad results?
- Why are some of our most difficult lessons only learned after a disastrous event?
- Why don’t people act to avoid crises when it is obvious they are inevitable?
The authors’ underlying message is that the failings that lead to disasters have more to do with:
- Dysfunctional organization, structure and systems and non-supportive cultures
- Institutionalized values that promote a natural disposition to be self-interested and defensive, especially under adverse circumstances
- Patterns of organizational behavior [described as organizational steering mechanisms] that exacerbate individuals’ negative behaviors and creative avoidance
- In the absence of a supportive and learning environment people default to their human frailties
- Strategy, power, financial, social and political barriers all contribute to “smart organizations doing dumb things.”
In many ways these points can be seen in everyday sales organizations where the hiring process and performance management system is broken.
Although well-intentioned at the outset bad hiring decisions invariably lead to disaster. At the point of no return the default behavior is to point out the failed individuals’ deficiencies while the root of the problem [the hiring process, belief systems and steering mechanisms that supports it] remains unresolved.
In their report the authors conclude that to avoid escalating problems and their attendant cover ups executive leadership must correct the steering mechanisms which exacerbate the problems. This is achieved through heightened awareness, improved accountability and collaboration across three broad areas of organizational development:
- Organizational structure
- Organizational processes, and
- People at work
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Why do People and Organizations Produce the Opposite of What they Intend?
StrategyDriven contributors believe accountable organizations are unique creatures; standing out from others because of their superior performance, greater employee loyalty, and higher customer satisfaction. Although the rewards are great, many companies will not embark on the journey to accountability because attaining and maintaining high levels of organizational accountability is extremely difficult.
Organizational accountability exists when all members of the workforce individually and collectively act to consequentially promote the timely accomplishment of the organization’s mission. Examined more closely, this means that:
* all members of the workforce: Includes executives, managers, and individual contributors. Executives and managers are responsible for holding their subordinates accountable for the effective and efficient conduct of activities supporting mission achievement. Subordinates, through their actions, set an example by which positive pressure is applied to their peers and seniors for greater accountability.
* individually act: Enough individuals throughout the organization must act accountably in order to achieve the critical mass necessary for the existence of an accountable organization. Some individuals, such as the chief executive officer, must exhibit and reinforce accountable behaviors for the organization to be truly accountable.
* collectively act: Often, groups of executives, managers, or individual contributors make and execute the organization’s decisions. Under these circumstances, it is critical that the group act in accordance with the organization’s values to accomplish its mission and avoid easy outs and the tendency to fall into a mode of group think.
* consequentially promote: Accountability cannot exist without both positive and negative consequences. To consequentially promote the organization’s mission implies that individuals and groups will not only act in ways that seek to accomplish the mission but will recognize and reward those who do so exceptionally and appropriately act to minimize behaviors less supportive of the organization’s goals.
* timely accomplishment of the organization’s mission: For accountability to exist, one must know what is to be accomplished and within what timeframe. No one can be accountable for accomplishing an undetermined goal for there is no basis against which to measure their accomplishments. Likewise, a goal that is not bound by time can never be considered to be incomplete or have insufficient progress because the individual or group working toward such a goal has an infinite amount of time to reach it.
Posts in our member’s only Organizational Accountability category explore the key attributes of accountable organizations and why many executives and managers intentionally or unconsciously avoid raising their organization’s accountability. Our posts identify the programs, processes, and actions that can be taken to help promote increased accountability. Finally, we examine the many benefits that accompany higher levels of organizational accountability and why accountable organizations realize them while others don’t.
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All the Best,
Nathan Ives
Principal Contributor and
co-Host, StrategyDriven Podcast
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