Week 2: A-Ha....

The instructions say that we should post an “a-ha” response to something we learn or experience each week. I should warn everyone that I tend to be a sarcastic person by nature, and the majority of the things that I learn begin with something that I find annoying. So, here goes…learning/venting week 2. I have come to a couple of realizations in the past few days. The first, is that if improvement is to happen in an organization, there must be at least one person in each department who cares enough (or is mad enough) to initiate change. My second realization is that the majority of change initiatives begin while these individuals are taking breaks together.
I find it amazing how much more work can get done during a break than during a meeting. I have had to sit through so many meetings in the past few weeks and I don’t think a single thing has been completed. However, during the course of four 15 minute breaks this week a co-worker and I sorted out two process problems and implemented solutions. This process begins with venting. Each member of the “break team” gets an opportunity to complain about something that is going on. Then, after the initial “You’re kidding me!” and “What were they thinking?” and “How do they function like that?!” we come up with a solution to the problem. To be honest, not all of our solutions are ones that we can present to the company without fear of unemployment, but some of our ideas are great, and get the job done. I find it so frustrating that this type of efficiency cannot happen in meetings, where everyone invited “should” have a vested interest in the topic. However, what I find more often is that the individuals only attend the meeting in an attempt to divert attention from them and leave the meeting with the fewest action items.

So – here is what I propose. All employees who are capable of rational thought and action should start our own social networking site; one that is underground and requires special membership by invitation only. This site could be dedicated to venting and working out solutions regardless of job description or company market. Anyone who would like to join let me know.