Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Does it matter that we are not for profit?

Very often in business organizations we have dysfunctional departments and even employees. Recently, I was asked by a membe of the Board of a non-profit organization to help them as several of the team were displaying a non-commital attitude and at times were disruptive and rude.

The Manager in the organization is near retirement and in brief discussions with staff, I found that the few, who were with the organization for many years, we happy with the status quo. They were allowed to come and go as they pleased and general policies and procedures did not seem to apply to them. Others who have been there for a shorter period of time are generally disgruntled about the manner in which the organization is run. Their relationship with the manager is strained. Most would indicate that problems existed but were hesitant to explain what these were. Staff have complained of a hostile work environment and general physical working conditions. None of these have been brought to the attention of any member of the Board. New staff could not articulate the vision of the organization or what current objectives were. None of the staff have been given a performance evaluation in three years.

The manager appears to backtrack on commitments and allows only some persons latitude in the daily operation of the organization. As a result the Board of Directors are not seeing where targets and objectives are being met, in fact they are about to lose significant funding due to the Manager's refusal to compromise with a benefactor on project details. The Board is now at risk of being sued for breaches. This will impact any future requests for aid from international agencies and cost the reputation of the orgnaization.

Currently the organization has two assistant managers, neither of whom have any substantive duties in the daily operations. Support staff must get authorization from the manager for almost every activity they perform.

If you were the consultant, what diagnostic tools would you use to determine the issues and what would be your recommendation for this board member?

Friday, June 17, 2011

Do we really want to change?

We learn about change, we talk about change, yet we remain the same and continue to do the same things. "How come?" We know, we insist, it cannot be business as usual....but we do nothing. According to John Kotter (1995) the first step is to create a sense of urgency.

When something is important to us, we seek change. When our unions fight for principle, we reject the notion if it does not impact us personally. Our education system needs an overhaul, so too does the physical infrastructure of the country. Every year we suffer from drought during the dry season and fail to clean drains and properly prepare during hurricane season. People still insist on constructing concrete structures in flood prone areas, and as citizens we allow ourselves to be taken advantage of by politicians on both sides.

The more times change the more they seem to remain the same. Columnist Dr Barbara Gloudon sums up latest events for us http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/columns/The-elephant-that-squeaked_9021326 So how do we create this urgency in a company or country that loves talk and little action?

Consider Jamaica as an organization calling you the OD consultant for help. How would you make your diagnosis and what would be your recommendations for change?