Centauric Thinking

Team effectiveness is not “bullet-izable*”

Centauric — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 23:55:37 +0000

After a long day of reviewing the proposed annual plans for each of the company’s organizational groups, we all felt we had been drinking from a fire hose. The experience left the members of the executive team on edge as we broke for dinner and some social time.

By the next morning, a typically withdrawn group of managers was ready to vent their frustrations. The newest member of the team observed:

We will contribute better thinking and align ourselves for action if we spend less time reading PowerPoint slides in a meeting and spend more time preparing in advance for dialogue and deliberation.

Seeing proposals for the first time in a PowerPoint format drained the material of its nuances and didn’t provide sufficient opportunity for analysis or reflection. Of course this made sense. In the 2003 Wired article “PowerPoint Is Evil“, Edward Tufte argues that the program encourages “faux-analytical” thinking that favors the slickly produced “sales pitch” over the sober exchange of information.

Ruth Marcus adds that

The deeper problem with the PowerPointing of America — the PowerPointing of the planet, actually — is that the program tends to flatten the most complex, subtle, even beautiful, ideas into tedious, bullet-pointed bureaucratese.” (PowerPoint: Killer App?)

Some leaders in the U.S. Military go so far as likening PowerPoint to an enemy. In a 2010 New York Times article “We Have Met the Enemy and He Is PowerPoint,” U.S. Brigadier General H.R. McMaster, who has banned the application’s use for military briefings, reflects

It’s dangerous because it can create the illusion of understanding and the illusion of control… Some problems in the world are not bullet-izable.*

Aligned commitment to action requires both nuanced understanding and sufficient opportunity to discuss implications, options, and tradeoffs. Whether the final decision results from group consensus or having a leader who declares the way forward – understanding and dialogue are critical success factors.

The team member who complained about PowerPoint had a good point. The way it was used in this situation served to inhibit deep understanding and prevent give- and-take conversations. By carefully designing a meeting agenda and interactive process, Centauric was able facilitate a conversation that transcended PowerPoint resulting in commitment to a clear well-considered plan of action.

Drinking On The Job Creates A Dilemma For Young Companies

Centauric — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 23:52:07 +0000

Years ago I was doing some conflict management at a large brewery. It was a shock at 3pm when the participants headed to the refrigerator to collect their afternoon refreshments. They explained that in the past the bar was open all day but there had been too many forklift accidents – so now office staff waited until three and factory workers collected a case to take home at the end of their shift.Fast forward to a recent meeting concerning the organizational culture at a growing Internet business in California. One of the things people told us they really liked was the availability of alcohol at work – especially when they worked late or when there was a celebration. The consensus was that the policy on alcohol demonstrated the firm’s trust in its staff and it created a cool vibe at work. This was not a unanimous opinion. The new head of HR highlighted the litigation risks should someone leave work and get into an accident. The CEO acknowledged his dilemma but wasn’t ready to shut things down.

Up the coast in another office, our culture survey uncovered “the Beer Fairy” who would visit hard-working staff who volunteered to stay late to get the job done. The CEO thought the beer fairy was a competitive advantage in his quest for talent. The HR director was not amused. Same story.

The CEOs in our example are not the only ones with a dilemma, a recent article in Bloomberg News, highlights the issues and risks as well as the growing trend toward making alcohol part of the workplace. The bottom line is the bigger an organization gets the greater the risks. Risks include increased accidents, sexual harassment and litigation.

Drinking On The Job Creates A Dilemma For Young Companies

Centauric — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 02:05:17 +0000

Fast forward to a recent meeting concerning the organizational culture at a growing Internet business in California. One of the things people told us they really liked was the availability of alcohol at work – especially when they worked late or when there was a celebration. The consensus was that the policy on alcohol demonstrated the firm’s trust in its staff and it created a cool vibe at work. This was not a unanimous opinion. The new head of HR highlighted the litigation risks should someone leave work and get into an accident. The CEO acknowledged his dilemma but wasn’t ready to shut things down.

The CEO is not the only one with a dilemma, a recent article in Bloomberg News, (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-13/booze-makes-comeback-in-workplace-with-silicon-valley-twist.html) highlights the issues and risks as well as the growing trend toward making alcohol part of the workplace. The bottom line is the bigger an organization gets the greater the risks. Risks include increased accidents, sexual harassment and litigation.

Internal Client Service – The dilemma of a great organization.

Centauric — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 18:16:15 +0000

Organization dynamics can yield counter-intuitive results. Hiring great people who love what they do and giving them cool projects should be the foundation of collaboration and innovation. When colleagues like each other it gets even better. But when their value for harmony interferes with direct frank communication – trouble is on the horizon. In fact negotiation and balancing priorities involve an exploration of differences that can be seen as risky by people who don’t see conflict as constructive. This is only part of the picture that emerged in a recent series of conversations among the members of one of our clients. The good news is that people of good will who slow down to look at their situation and compare notes are in the best possible position to juice up the culture and build a foundation of internal client service that will provide a great experience for colleagues and external clients alike. These kinds of conversations are even more effective when a neutral third party facilitator provides focus and reinforcement for problem resolution.

Change Management: Shifting from Thinking to Doing

Centauric — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 23:18:03 +0000

We are currently supporting the implementation of a significant new organization design in an operating company that makes, sells and delivers its products across a large area. A team of consultants and company executives has been working for months to come up with a detailed design that will offer the appropriate balance of corporate control and local flexibility. Models have been tested and seemingly endless role descriptions have been generated. Now it is time for the rubber to meet the road. So what is the hold up?

Regardless of the detailed plans and many hours of discussions and briefing sessions, the managers who will actually have to make this work in their own areas continue to ask for more information, details and time. What do they really need? Is it possible to answer their questions? Should leadership delay implementation as the general managers are asking?

The managers in the field are trying to anticipate and avoid as much risk as possible. After all, they will be held accountable for organization performance and they have to keep their people engaged even though some of them will lose influence. It is entirely reasonable for them to anticipate problems and try to avoid as many as possible – before things get moving. On the other hand, it is not possible to have all the answers. At the end of the day, losing momentum by over-studying the plan has its own attendant risks.

So now comes the test. We designed a full day (10 hour) team event that was defined as the turning point meeting – where the team would shift from study and modification to commitment and implementation. The key elements that made this meeting a success were:

1. Senior leadership committed to support the GMs and to help them to solve unanticipated issues quickly

2. The GMs had a chance to walk through enough scenarios with their functional colleagues to reassure themselves that the plan “could” work

3. The consultants moved themselves into the background so the leadership team could work out its final approach on its own and fully own it.

Our conclusion: Think through as much as possible but don’t try to get everyone fully comfortable and committed in advance of the change. At some point, it is better to move forward and solve the problems that arise along the way. In this case, action will be more powerful than words

Bitter workers dream of post-recession jobs

Centauric — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 00:19:33 +0000

“Take This Job and Shove It.”
The ‘70s country song, performed by Johnny Paycheck, sounds as outdated as electric typewriters,
carbon copies and pastel leisure suits.
Today, the lyrics might go: “Thanks for this job — I really need it.”
If you’re of working age and employed, lucky you. You’re not a statistic in the Great Recession’s
jobless recovery.
But just because you’re getting a paycheck doesn’t mean you’re happy. Or even grateful.
According to a married pair of “business shrinks” (my phrase), many American workers are keeping
their own angry counsel. These closeted malcontents are waiting, just waiting, to tell their bosses to
shove it.
“Because times are bad, companies assume people won’t leave,” says sociologist Tina Beranbaum.
“That’s true for now. But not when there’s a glimmer of hope.”
Beranbaum, a former McGill University professor, and husband Mitchell Shack, an industrial
psychologist, head up Centauric, a La Jolla-based consulting firm that helps companies “get the best
out of people” (their phrase).
For at least the past two years, the mood has turned dark in the American workplace, the couple
believe. “There’s fear in the air,” Shack said.
When workers watch colleagues get laid off, they either feel guilt that they survived or anxiety that
they’ll be next, Shack said.