What’s Wrong With My Organization Org-ology Inc.

Let’s talk a bit about Zoom fatigue, supervision and measuring productivity. All questions that folk should be asking around this. Are we still trying to decide what direction we are going? What are we waiting for?

Ah, remember the days when you had that person who was “in the know” at the office? That person who seemed to know not just who was sleeping with whom, but also how to get a conference room when no one else could? That type of office knowledge has gone the way of the telex and the rotary phone—the answer is probably “we’re virtual now and there’s an FAQ for that”. It doesn’t change the fact that there’s a vacuum now, where helpful people used to be. It’s well known that nature hates a vacuum—so what’s filling that space?

Honest answers here: has anyone ever been motivated to go to work on Friday by the chance of having free pizza for lunch? Or that stale bagel for breakfast? If you happen to know who came up with that motivation plan, please submit your answers. Most folk agree that there’s a reason you’re paid to show up at work—and yet all the talk of work passion. If you talk to business leaders, they expect staff to see their work as the meaning of life. Can an excel spreadsheet be the meaning of life?

In the chronicles of absurd parenting, my young daughter recently asked “dad, why do I click on that funny square thingy when I want to save my work on the computer?” I can only recommend: don’t discuss the details of data storage evolution with a nine year old—you have a vanishingly small chance of success. But it does make you ask: why are we still clicking on an icon image of a technology you probably can’t even buy anymore in our computer programs?

For decades we’ve talked about democratization through digital media—the change in technology makes it possible for each individual to have a louder, distinct voice. Whether its YouTube or Twitter, the individual has a greater impact—and megaphone than ever before. Do companies, and organizations, really grasp what that means for decision making, that—until now—may have been considered internal or private? Let’s look at current developments to see what their behaviors show

God save the queen. Or, wait. I think we’re now at God save the king, aren’t we? Recent events in British monarchy make for an interesting distraction in these turbulent times. Elizabeth was indeed the only person in that role, in my lifetime, so the changing of the guard does make for interesting observations. Who knew we British had such a collection of funny hats. As rather an anti-monarchist, I’d be curious to know if our in-house experts can assign a value to any of all of this.