During my work as an IT professional over the course of the last couple years, I have noticed a disturbing culture in all the large corporations I have worked at. It might just be a purely South African phenomenon… but somehow I don’t think so.The problem is decision-making, or rather the lack of decision-making. It seems that everyone in any sort of management position at any given corporation is deathly afraid of making decisions. Perhaps it is career suicide if you are seen to make a bad decision? Maybe everyone is following the Wally MethodTM of productivity?
Whatever the basic motivation is, it is a tragedy of modern business. Every project I have ever been on could have happened faster, cheaper and finished with a better product if decisions could be made in a timely manner.
If you work in the corporate world and know the reason why every little thing needs to get passed up through five levels of management on both sides of the consulting tree before it can be settled, please tell me. If not then I have a challenge for you: Next time someone asks you for a decision, gather all the relevant information, weigh up the pros and cons, and CHOOSE!
Any leadership that makes employees deathly afraid of getting something wrong is not leadership at all. It makes every little process that the company must do a complete nightmare and ensures that you will not be able to react quickly (or at all) to changes in the market and we all know that such an attitude means a rapid downfall.
Ok… rant over.
-Odd
“When you have to make a choice and don't make it, that is in itself a choice.” -William James
Ho Odd,
ReplyDeleteWell said man.
I must say that it is very rare to find a company that encourages decision making.
Luckily, or un luckily, for me my current management team not only support decision making, but they encourage it. If u make a bad decision, you do have to face the consequences, but if u make a good decision you are applauded for it. I know I recently made a string of great decisions, followed by a very expensive one :( but all is well that ends well they say. And I still have my job to show for it. All I can say is thank all that is good and well for the good decisions I made first.
Glad to hear there's at least one company that encourages it's employees.
ReplyDeleteAnd you shouldn't stress, man... check the aggregate outcome... I'm sure you're still ahead of the curve ^^