An organization I've worked with for awhile made a mistake this past week. The executive group made decisions about the work content of various staff members, reassigned them to work for different people in many cases, and redistributed work load. Nice opportunity to involve the affected people in discussing and deciding how to redesign the organization. Right? Wrong.
The executive group made all of the decisions and the individual in charge of human resource issues left a typed list of new responsibilities on each person's desk. No additional discussions. Then, she left town.
Of course there is great furor and many people are threatening to quit. I'm sure more than one staff member has polished their resume this week. No one is working at their desk; they are all out trying to learn their new jobs. There is an air of negativity so thick, you can touch it as you walk through the office. Even an eighteen year old student, visiting for the day, noticed the negativity.
This organization will discover that, either you spend time on the front end, building support and ownership for change, or you'll end up spending it on the back end of a change doing damage control.
My words to the wise? No decisions about me, without me.
Happy Fat Tuesday, if you're enjoying Mardi Gras.
Warmly,
Susan
6:17:04 PM
How Not to Win Friends 
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