When you swim in an ocean, you naturally drift with the force of the current. You may not see the current, but you feel it…often without even realizing it. After an hour passes, you look up and realize that your beach umbrella is a long way off in the distance.
The same principle is true in organizations. Like the ocean current that carries a swimmer, organizations naturally drift with the silent currents at work below the surface of organizational life. Why is that a problem? Because organizations naturally drift in three unhealthy directions.
1. Organizations Drift Toward Complexity – It’s very natural to add meetings to an organization’s calendar, products to a product line, and programs to a list of services. The problem is, we rarely subtract anything. Over time, organizational life gets complex, even burdensome. The danger in complexity is that people, money, energy, and focus get diluted. Rather than doing a few things with excellence, we try to do more than we’re ready or equipped to handle. This drift toward complexity is often the result of what Jim Collins calls, “overreaching.” When an organization grows, it’s easy to assume we can do more than we’re capable of doing long-term. We think we’re invincible, and as a result we “overreach” beyond our capacity.
What’s the cure? First, clarify your vision. Second, evaluate your current strategies against the vision. Are they moving you toward, or away from, vision fulfillment? Are the strategies fulfilling their purpose, reaching their target audience, sustainable in their current design, and able to scale with the growth of the organization? Third, make change and eliminate strategies to ensure proper alignment and reduce complexity. Fourth, embrace efficiencies that makes sense while simultaneously fostering a healthy culture.
2. Organizations Drift Toward Mediocrity – Mediocrity sets in when we become comfortable with the status quo and stop dreaming. Frankly, sometimes mediocrity shows up when people are no longer inspired by the mission of the organization, or the leader has lost his or her passion. The longer mediocrity is allowed to run free, the harder it is to initiate change.
What’s the cure? The only way to fix mediocrity is to disrupt it. How? First, diagnose mediocrity. Where is it, what’s causing it, and who’s perpetuating it? Second, create a sense of urgency. Make it clear things cannot stay the same, and provide any helpful insight or research to validate your point. Third, clarify vision. It may be time for a bold new vision that inspires people to action. Fourth, redefine expectations. Present fresh vision, share responsibility, define new expectations, and then be the first to model those expectations for others. Fifth, establish accountability. The only way new expectations get ingrained into an organization is if people are held accountable for them. Sixth, celebrate progress. Help people see how their efforts have created positive change.
3. Organizations Drift Toward Inflexibility – One reason for mediocrity is because the organization becomes inflexible. In the early days, organizations can pivot quickly, and make adjustments without having to fight layers of bureaucracy. But as an organization ages, it tends to drift toward inflexibility. Why? One reason (and there are many), is because every growing organization needs systems to manage the chaos of growth. As author Les McKeown points out, without systems, organizations never breakthrough to higher levels of growth because they don’t have the structure in place to handle the growth. Systems provide that structure.
The problem is, systems can lead to an unintended consequence—a resistance to innovation. While systems are critical to help us be effective and efficient, systems do not produce innovative ideas—people do. There must be room for innovation to breathe. Otherwise, your innovators will parachute out of the plane while your system builders fly it neatly into the ground. Again, both are essential.
What’s the cure? Create space for innovators. While innovation disrupts inflexible organizations, innovators disrupt inflexible people. You need to create space and funding for innovators to dream, recognizing they’re probably going to disrupt a few people who have become complacent along the way. That’s okay. When others complain, listen and offer encouragement, but make it clear that we cannot stay the same.
The natural undercurrent of organizations pulls them toward complexity, mediocrity, and inflexibility. Being aware of these tendencies will help you intentionally take the steps necessary to create a life-giving culture that resists the pull of the negative undercurrent.
