Our most valuable assets - The depressed organisation

Previously we mentioned that people are often forgotten in the rush to establish an alliance or partnership. In this post we describe what happens when you get it wrong!

 If collaboration is treated as just an overlay on the existing organisational processes, then it develops into a shambles which inevitably affects personnel. With no one fully responsible for managing the relationship no joint organisation with clear goals is constructed, information flows are haphazard, work processes are not harmonised and staff are left without direction. They often adopt a crisis reaction running around with their ‘hair on fire’ working harder rather than smarter. This is made worse by a lack of detailed guidance and additional resources. Senior managers think everything is fine, middle managers feel by-passed and that their jobs are threatened and, staff generally don’t know what to think but feel the impact of the pressure from dealing with increased problems. Some are apathetic, some adopt a ‘wait and see’ attitude and some actively resist and all resent the imposed changes.

 In many cases the process gaps between the partners result in friction and bad behaviours, and polarisation into ‘camps’ e.g. engineers versus salesmen. Everyone falls back on what they know in failed attempts to normalise the situation whilst innovation is stifled. At the end of the day the best people will seek a better place or look for high ground. Those who stay will be inefficient and do as little as they need to in order to get the job done.