When organizations are confronted with situations where they just aren’t achieving the level of buy-in that they were expecting or hoping for, it often helps to start your analysis by thinking back to W. Edwards Deming’s words, “A bad system will beat a person every time.”
Organizations must ensure that their systems are in alignment with the results they desire. A comprehensive focus must be placed on the desired outcome, whether it’s increasing productivity, morale, buy-in, or, as in the following case, a more communicative information-sharing environment.
For example, I recall a manager who wanted to carve out some time for her staff to get to know each other better and improve communication. She came up with the idea to have monthly, company-paid, all-employee team luncheons. The idea was good, but the execution was lacking. You see, the luncheons were often scheduled at times that interfered with production deadlines. So, instead of creating an environment where staff could openly discuss various topics, everyone was more focused on leaving the luncheon as fast as possible so they could get back to work and not have to work as late that day. This was a classic example of not thinking through the “system or initiative” that was put in place to achieve a desired outcome.
