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Taking the Guesswork Out of Effectiveness

What the heck is an “effective organization”? What the heck is an effective team or person for that matter? And perhaps more important, how do we become effective? We hear the words “effective” and “effectiveness” fairly often, but what do they mean? We most often hear these words in the context of formal or informal feedback. Sometimes these words are used in CORRECTIVE feedback (unfortunately, frequently called negative feedback) and sometimes in AFFIRMATIVE feedback (frequently called positive feedback).

  • “This team is just not effective.”
  • “Your efforts on this project were not very effective.”
  • “What we are doing is just not as effective as it once was.”
  • “The solutions that were implemented were not very effective.”

In most cases, feedback is based on the results that were achieved. So in essence, effectiveness is defined by the results, and until the results are in, we aren’t sure ourselves if what we are doing will make things more effective. Even though we may have followed the guidelines for process or quality improvement, we may still be on pins and needles waiting to see if what we have done will net greater effectiveness. In other words, though what effectiveness will look like once it is achieved is well defined, the MEANS to get there usually are not. Therefore, we apply our efforts to those things we think will make a difference and then hope for the best.

This approach would be like a doctor treating an illness and being able to describe what the patient will look like when he or she is well but having no means of or understandings about what treatment to use. The doctor just makes a guess and hopes for the best. We don’t know about you, but for us this would not be adequate healthcare. And it is not adequate care for our organizations either.

While there is no absolute guarantee that what we do will net us the results we want, certain KINDS OF EFFORTS applied to certain ELEMENTS OR ASPECTS of the organization will make effectiveness more likely. If we know what to apply our efforts to and what efforts to use, we have taken a lot of the guesswork out of how to be effective and can more adequately care for our organizations and the groups and individuals, including ourselves, within them.

Over the years, we have found in our work with organizations and the groups and individuals within them, that the means of achieving effectiveness is not strong leadership and management in the sense of people in positions, or impeccable quality control measures, or even a clear vision and well devised strategies and plans as we had been taught in our years of training.

The means of achieving effectiveness is fairly straightforward and as logical and practical as anything you will ever hear. It does require, however, that you be able to put aside more traditional thinking about what an organization is and how it is supposed to operate and how you are to work within it for a different perspective. Our findings have been that:

Effectiveness results when an organization and its parts and individuals put their efforts into practicing the functions of LEADERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, and COLLABORATION and applying these practices or efforts to the Vital Elements of the organization – those things that are life-sustaining or necessary for the life and health of the organization over time.

In essence, just random efforts applied to random things in an organization do not seem to make much difference. However, specific efforts applied to specific things make a huge difference. THESE SPECIFIC EFFORTS ARE LEADERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, AND COLLABORATION PRACTICES OR FUNCTIONS AND ACTIVITIES AND THESE SPECIFIC THINGS ARE VITAL ORGANIZATION ELEMENTS.

But what are VITAL ORGANIZATION ELEMENTS in an organization and what are LEADERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND COLLABORATION PRACTICES and how do they make organizations more effective? In this and the next three issues of LazCast, we will answer these questions for you and hopefully interest you and others in your organization in an innovative and much more practical and logical way of becoming effective.

What we are discussing is not what does effectiveness look life when it is achieved because this description changes from organization to organization. What we are discussing is a MEANS to become effective that works regardless of the type, structure or work of the organization, its parts, or its individuals. It is the means to the effectiveness end.

WHAT ARE VITAL ELEMENTS?

VITAL ELEMENTS are those needs or categories of concerns that must be met if the organization and any of its parts or individuals are to be effective over time. Just as certain basic or vital needs must be met before human life is sustainable in a particular environment, so must certain vital needs be met before an organization or any of its parts or individual members can sustain work life and effectiveness.

Let’s use an analogy. If we think of the vital elements or broad categories required to sustain human life, we might list them as:

  • AIR for breathing
  • EARTH for food & shelter
  • WATER for body function
  • HEAT for body temperature

Each of these elements is a broad category containing lots of smaller concerns. Air for breathing, for example, contains such concerns as the balance of various gases, the quality of the air, the supply of air for the future, and even the movements of winds around the earth that create weather patterns. The world community, as well as individual countries, governments, industry, and people must become actively involved in the business of attending to air as a Vital Element required for life if air is to be available to sustain life and of the quality needed to maintain health or human effectiveness.

If we think of these concerns about air as big things that really don’t have a lot to do with us as individuals or as something we can’t do very much about, then we just move from day to day, assuming breathable air is a given and doing nothing to attend to this vital element that keeps us alive. Obviously, the job of looking after our air is too large for just a few people to do successfully. We must all be involved. However, without knowing exactly what to do to make a difference, what activities are required, any desire we might have to look after our air would soon diminish from the frustration of helplessness.

Like human life, organizations have VITAL ELEMENTS required for life. Each of these elements is a broad category of needs that must be looked after if the organization is to stay alive and be effective. The SEVEN VITAL ORGANIZATION ELEMENTSä as we think of them are different from those traditionally taught in business classes and used in strategic planning activities. Our VITAL ELEMENTS are action or function oriented. This means that they are groupings that actually require activities that members can do, into which they can invest energy, time, and resources and make a significant difference for the organization, some part of the organization or for individual members, including themselves. Our VITAL ELEMENTS require the attention and efforts of all members, regardless of how the organization’s reporting or accountability structure is designed, if it is to become effective.

Our Vital Organization Elements are:

  • DIRECTION
  • PEOPLE / WORKFORCE
  • ARCHITECTURE / DESIGN
  • WORK ENGINEERING
  • WORK INTEGRATION
  • EXTERNAL PARTNERS
  • ADAPTATION

As with the human life-sustaining elements, each of the organization life-sustaining elements is a broad category containing lots of smaller concerns. Direction, for example, contains such concerns as determining values, formulating vision, devising strategies, and establishing missions not just for the organization as a whole, but also for all part and individuals within the organization. Work Integration contains such concerns as connection points for work processes, supply chain management, synchronization of efforts of various areas, ease of access to resources supporting the main work, computer networks, information distribution methods, and communication systems.

Also, as with the concerns in each of the human life-sustaining elements, if we think of these concerns about direction or integrating systems as big things that really don’t have a lot to do with us as individuals or as something we can’t do very much about, then we just move from day to day, assuming that the organization, our area, or even our jobs are givens and do nothing to attend to these vital element that keeps the organizations and its parts alive and effective.

Obviously, the job of looking after all the concerns of an organization and its parts and members is too large for just a few people to do successfully. We must all be involved. However, without knowing exactly what to do to make a difference, what activities are required, as with air quality, any desire we might have to attend to these Vital Elements would soon diminish from the frustration of helplessness.

In our method for achieving effectiveness, LEADERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND COLLABORATION PRACTICES (which will be discussed in the next three issues) give us the “what to do” and the VITAL ORGANIZATION ELEMENTS give us the “what to do it to.” Attending to these SEVEN VITAL ELEMENTS will help sustain the life and effectiveness of the organization over time and enable it to be stable, adaptable, productive, and creative – even in a chaotic environment.

WHAT ABOUT MONEY?

Perhaps noticeable right away is the absence of finances as one of the Vital Elements. This is not to imply that finances are not important. Finances are an important and necessary resource required within each of the Vital Elements to facilitate the work. Facilities and equipment are needed as well. But none of these is an area or vital element. Each of these is a resource necessary for the work and a criteria or parameter within which the work must happen. Finances enable the work within the Vital Elementsä. But they are not the work itself.

WHAT IS EACH VITAL ORGANIZATION ELEMENT ABOUT?

Effectiveness is the result of attending to life-sustaining vital elements. Just as human life requires certain sustaining elements to be possible, so do organizations require certain sustaining elements to be effective. While it may be true that some organizations have a framework for looking after some of these Vital Elements, few have the infrastructure in place to attend to all of them.

DIRECTION & PLANNING – ESTABLISHING & PLANNING FOR *INTEGRATED VALUES, VISIONS, STRATEGIES & MISSIONS

Direction and planning means determining WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO US, WHERE ARE WE HEADED, HOW WILL WE GET THERE, AND WHAT WILL BE THE FOCUS OF OUR OPERATIONAL ACTIVITIES, whether we are doing so for the entire organization, one part, one team, or for ourselves. Direction and planning are the foundation on which everything is built. Effectiveness begins here.

WORKFORCE/PEOPLE PRACTICES – ATTENDING TO MEMBERS AS GROUPS & INDIVIDUALS & EVERYTHING THAT IMPACTS THEIR ABILITY TO ACCOMPLISH WORK

When we use the term “workforce practices,” we are actually referring to everything that impacts the ability of those responsible for doing the work to actually accomplish the work. This include traditional human resource practices as well as such things as autonomy, empowerment, workload, management style, development opportunities, communication practices, facilities, equipment, involvement in decision-making and planning. Effectiveness is impossible if the needs of groups and individuals are not met.

ORGANIZATION ARCHITECTURE – DESIGNING THE ORGANIZATION & ALL INFRA-STRUCTURES & JOBS AROUND THE CORE WORK & OVER ALL VALUES

Organization Architecture is more than an organizational chart or flowcharts. It is a reflection of beliefs about people and beliefs about order and control. Design involves making decisions about where the core work of the organization and its supporting infrastructures will best be performed to maximize the social and technical realities of the organization and to deliver the greatest possible client or customer value. If the work of the organization as a whole, areas, groups, and individuals is not designed well, effectiveness will be difficult to achieve.

WORK ENGINEERING – DESIGNING ALL PROCESSES TO BEST ACCOMPLISH THE WORK & REFLECT THE OVER ALL VALUES

Even though processes are the lifeblood of every organization, they are usually poorly understood and marginally attended. Processes have a tremendous impact on the success of the organization, areas, groups, and individuals. Engineering all processes – global, area specific, and individual –so that they can accomplish the work the best way possible and still reflect our values is vital if effectiveness is our aim.

WORK INTEGRATION – CONNECTING & COORDINATING ALL WORK & THE PEOPLE DOING THE WORK

Whether it is the organization as a whole or parts or individuals within it, we struggle with how to connect and coordinate all the things that must be done and the people who must do them. For any organization to be healthy and successful, all aspects of its operation must fit together well. Integration Systems connect processes across the organization, area and group and are requirements for effectiveness.

EXTERNAL PARTNER – DEVELOPING GENUINE, TRUSTING RELATIONSHIPS WITH CLIENTS, CUSTOMERS & VENDORS INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE ORGANIZATION, AREA, GROUP, OR INDIVIDUAL JOB

The term “partner” refers to any organization, group, or individual who helps the organization, or some part or individual within the organization to accomplish its work. This means that partners are not just those totally external to the organization. They are also those who are inside the organization but who are outside the particular area, group or individual in question.
Because these organizations, groups or individuals are so important to the accomplishment of the work, they are called “partners”. Partners include such groups as suppliers, clients, customers, and vendors both internal and external. Good partner relationships facilitate effectiveness.

Because these organizations, groups or individuals are so important to the accomplishment of the work, they are called “partners”. Partners include such groups as suppliers, clients, customers, and vendors both internal and external. Good partner relationships facilitate effectiveness.

ADAPTATION & INNOVATION – MAKING IMPROVEMENTS TO CURRENT PRACTICES & INTRODUCING NEW PRACTICES

To stay alive and healthy over time, the organization as a whole and the areas, groups and individuals within it must continuously adapt and innovate to meet new demands. As the demands and environment changes, so we change to meet these new demands. Whether the demand requires new software, improved processes, a new service or product, or more education, to be effective we must change and innovate. New things are being introduced into the ecology constantly, so the organization must adapt in order to accommodate the change.

WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY ARE THESE VITAL ELEMENTS?

The VITAL ELEMENTS will not be attended to and the concerns met if only those in positions of formal authority are attending to them. We are all responsible for looking after the VITAL ELEMENTS in every area in which we are involved. The type and structure of the organization does not matter. The organization can be structured more traditionally with hierarchical reporting and accountability structures and work silos. It can also be structured more collaboratively with flatter communication structures, in-group accountability and horizontal work structure. In either case, it is possible and necessary for every member of the organization to be involved in attending to its life-sustaining VITAL ELEMENTS.

CONCLUSION

Knowing where to apply our efforts – what is important – is the first part of achieving effectiveness. Knowing what efforts to apply is the next part. We will begin this discussion in our next issue of LazCast.

COMING UP…

In our next issue of LazCast, we will discuss Leadership Practices as one of the means we use to look after the VITAL ORGANIZATION ELEMENTS and become effective. Our approach to leadership, as with the Vital Elements themselves, is functional and involves everyone in the “doing” of leadership. Don’t miss it!

Questions? Comments? We would love to hear from you.
Drop us a line at info@lazarusconsulting.com .