In the middle of downtown Atlanta, there is a 40-story building that dwarfs its neighbors and commands the skyline. 2 Peachtree Street N.W. houses Georgia's health & hospitals bureaucracy. Last week, we had an important meeting with the leadership of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, up on the 24th floor. The leadership of our hospital had traveled 2 hours to Atlanta to meet with the Commissioner and his staff on projects of importance to west central Georgia. A very important bunch of folks talking about important projects that would impact 1.4 million Georgians.
If you were going to flowchart the process, it might look like this:
But what actually happened was this: Before we were allowed on the elevator, we needed to "sign in" with the receptionist in the lobby. First, she asked who we were there to see. "Commissioner Shelp, 24th Floor."
"Do you have a written confirmation of the meeting?" Why, yes I did, simply because I had printed out the Outlook appointment so I would remember where, when, and with whom we were meeting. I handed her my copy. "They didn't tell me you were comin'", she said. I nodded. "I need to confirm this meeting," she said. I nodded. She asked, "Do you know their phone number?" "Its YOUR building," I pointed out. She sighed and picked up the phone, found someone on the 24th floor, and handed the phone to me, "Tell her why you're here", which I did and handed the phone back to the receptionist...she looked at me questioningly. I said, "She said they are expecting us. She smiled and nodded.
If you were going to flowchart the process, it might look like this:
Get on the elevator > Go to the 24th floor > Meet > Reach agreement on key topics
> Ride the elevator down > Go Home
> Ride the elevator down > Go Home
But what actually happened was this: Before we were allowed on the elevator, we needed to "sign in" with the receptionist in the lobby. First, she asked who we were there to see. "Commissioner Shelp, 24th Floor."
"Do you have a written confirmation of the meeting?" Why, yes I did, simply because I had printed out the Outlook appointment so I would remember where, when, and with whom we were meeting. I handed her my copy. "They didn't tell me you were comin'", she said. I nodded. "I need to confirm this meeting," she said. I nodded. She asked, "Do you know their phone number?" "Its YOUR building," I pointed out. She sighed and picked up the phone, found someone on the 24th floor, and handed the phone to me, "Tell her why you're here", which I did and handed the phone back to the receptionist...she looked at me questioningly. I said, "She said they are expecting us. She smiled and nodded.
Next, I needed to produce a picture ID and business card. Now, remember, she now knows who we are, where we're going, why we're here, and its been confirmed by the home team. But, no...we need picture ID and business card. I start to fill out the Visitor Sign In Log. "No!," she says, "I have to fill that out." She then asks for a phone number. "Its on my business card," I say. She repeats, "I need a phone number." So I tell her the number that is on the card that is in her left hand. She signs me in. I get a badge.
Repeat the process x 4 for all the members of our group. Eventually we are allowed on the elevator. The entire process takes 40 minutes. Our meeting goes extremely well, quick agreement on key items, and we are back on the elevator in 45 minutes...barely 5 minutes longer than it took us to sign in.
Why do bureaucracies act like that? What is the purpose? After all, no one checked our passes, no one stopped us on the 24th floor...why that long, laborious routine? How many people in that building are tied up doing that kind of busy work? How many bureaucrats does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Once upon a time, I taught Vocational Psychology...or "the world of work"...at UNC-Wilmington. One of my favorite texts that we used in that class was Kennedy & Deal's seminal work on organizational culture called Corportate Culture: Rites & Rituals. A synopsis of the book can be found at the excellent Mindtools website:
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newSTR_86.htm
Kennedy & Deal postulate that all corporate cultures may be defined along two dimensions: Feedback Speed and Degree of Risk:
Once upon a time, I taught Vocational Psychology...or "the world of work"...at UNC-Wilmington. One of my favorite texts that we used in that class was Kennedy & Deal's seminal work on organizational culture called Corportate Culture: Rites & Rituals. A synopsis of the book can be found at the excellent Mindtools website:
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newSTR_86.htm
Kennedy & Deal postulate that all corporate cultures may be defined along two dimensions: Feedback Speed and Degree of Risk:
Simply put: First, organizations differ in how quickly they get feedback as to their performance...sales organizations, for example, get quick feedback..."how many widgets did we sell today?" "how many insurance policies did Bob sell this month?" Fast, objective, definable output.
Second, organizations differ on how much risk they are willing or able to accept. Again, sales organizations, sports teams, restaurants, and so forth take on a high degree of risk every day...one unwise move and they're out of business. At the other extreme, the Department of Motor Vehicles is a very low risk environment, the activities they undertake do not have a high potential for catastrophic disaster.
Consider two types of organizations:
In INSURANCE SALES, the feedback is fast and easy to define...policies written, amount of cash under contract, etc. It is also a high risk endeavor...policy volume must be maintained in order to have the cash on hand to pay off claims, if sales fall, the company can (and does) collapse. In this type organization, the INDIVIDUAL is king...the "rock star" who sells the most policies, the individual who has the greatest impact on the bottomline...and that individual can (and is) easily identified.
In a BUREAUCRACY, the feedback is slow or non-existent...what, for example, does the Department of Motor Vehicles actually produce in the way of output? Can individual efforts be measured? Are individual efforts important to the overall health of the organization? No. Is the DMV a risky operation? No, it must exist to provide those services and it is highly unlikely that it will ever cease to exist, whatever the circumstances. In this type organization, the individual is unimportant...what is of utmost importance is PROCESS...what we do and how we do it, not individual effort or how many license plates we give out today. Anyone who has ever been to the DMV knows that their process...policies, procedures, necessary documentation, take your ticket and wait in line..."No! I said 'Behind the yellow line'"! is what is important.
In a Tough-Guy organization, the "producer" is king, the guy who generates the output is the "rock star." The most important person in the culture is not the CEO or the VP but the rock star that generates the business...and they tend to be treated like royalty.
In a Process organization, since output is non-existent, it is the process that becomes most important and the key person in the organization is the person who best understands & controls the process. At 2 Peachtree Street N.W. in Atlanta, it is the Receptionist At The Front Desk.
So, when dealing with Tough-Guy organizations, befriend the King of Output. In any bureaucracy, your best friend is the Queen of Process.
