Spinning up work

A quick and silly story.


Once upon a time there was somebody named John.  One day, this somebody announced he wanted to visit a vacation spot about 30 miles from his home.   He wanted some time away, rest and relaxation.

John's left ankle was quite surprised at this, and believed this was much too far - farther than John had ever walked before.  The ankle pondered and fretted:

What is John thinking!?  Of course, he's the leader and is in charge of what we do as a body - but surely he didn't understand the implications of such a long journey!  Why did he not consult me?  Clearly he didn't think this through very well.

Oh, for shame!  He should have consulted me - and other experts around the body as well.  He can be such a yahoo sometimes.  We're going to have to help him reach this goal.  We'll need a joint committee, of course.  Ugh, that right ankle of his is always creaking and whining, but at least we can say we consulted all affected parties, so he's in.  The knees, yes, I'll need to include them as well.  Who else might I be missing?  Oh, right!  The upper body - we're always carrying those guys around - let's invite the lungs...but then we can't be a "joint" committee...but they should be there.  It's the right thing to do, even if they'll just be breathing heavily on our conference calls.  At least they won't say much.  Hmm...maybe just the right lung.  It's larger and can speak for the left one.

Oh that John!  This is just like him.  Our "leader" doesn't know what it takes to do something like this.  We'll need to pull some all-nighters to prepare, even if it makes him feel terrible in the morning.  Almost forgot, we'll need to engage all of the stakeholders:  the gall bladder always has a good inside perspective, and I'm sure the pancreas does something around here (but nobody knows what).  We have to build consensus and move forward with a strategic action plan that ensures success.  I'm the expert on walking, running, and all things ankle - been doing this for years!  Why was I not brought in earlier on this???  Oh, that John!!!

After a wild three days, the left ankle has organized the committees, brought people together, created a charter and a plan.  He's exhausted, and John's walking with a limp.  The brain looks down at all the commotion, learns what's been going on, and says to the left ankle:

"Um...you know John's driving and not walking, right?"

Spinning up work

Scenarios like the one above are familiar in organizations of all shapes and sizes.  A tremendous amount of work is spun up, and only later it's discovered that the work was not only unnecessary, but in many cases very unhelpful.  Here are some things to remember as you come across the left ankles in your organization..

These individuals are usually well-intentioned, and act in a way that they perceive as doing "good work."  Without going too deeply into behavioral theories, the way a person acts is anchored in the expected outcome, and a person's actions are reinforced after the fact through rationalization and confirmation bias.  Some of the things people get from doing work include recognition, doing challenging work well, and the ability to grow in personal ability.  Individuals also act on imperfect organizational information - which contributes to imperfect outcomes.

The larger the organization, the more likely this is to happen.  In larger organizations, communications channels tend to be more formalized, and often it's encouraged for individuals to figure out the problem and bring a solution to senior leaders.  When flawed or imperfect information flows through the formal channels, it's more likely that a well-intentioned individual will spin up needless work.

Every individual brings a slightly different perspective.  This may mean that individuals define things slightly differently, or that individuals tend to assume a desired end state that could be materially different from the espoused direction of a senior leader.

Not everyone understands things the same way you do.  Individuals are all over the spectrum in terms of IQ (intelligence), EQ (emotional intelligence), MQ (moral intelligence), and BQ (body intelligence).  People have different behavioral preferences that may come into play, and two individuals may have markedly different definitions for words they use in conversations with one another.

Resolution

To improve the effectiveness and quality of work in your organization, there are three areas that can have positive impact on your organization:  communication, awareness, and habit.

Communication is key.  On a very regular basis I have disagreements with someone as to whether a particular series of colors are shades of blue or purple.  Over time, we've come to realize that what we call the color is not as relevant as to how the color is applied (to a wall, an outfit, or a design).  We've learned through communication that we do agree on which colors go together, but not particularly on what those colors are called.  When we work together on design, we physically show the color to the other person now to ensure shared understanding - it's been tremendously helpful for both of us.

Awareness of other mental abilities and perspectives is very important as well.  What one person considers remarkably complex could be simple and mundane to another.  One person may see a particular change as monumental to the way an organization runs, and another person may see the change as small and inconsequential in the larger scheme of things.  One person may consider a "strategic plan" a thought exercise in getting through the next two months, another may envision the next ten years.

Make it a habit to learn more about a situation, to ask excellent questions in the face of uncertainty, and to always understand why you're doing the work.  If you lead teams, the onus is on you to both understand the why of the work you do, as well as communicate it clearly and crisply to others.

So the next time you notice someone spinning up work, ask yourself:  is this work necessary for this person and others to understand and contribute to where we're going?  If so, it might be beneficial to allow the work to continue - even if you fully understand where it is you'd like to go.  If not, then stave off the needless process and just get the job done.

Best,
Bryan