Friday, October 20, 2020
Avoiding Hamburger Management
Over at The Canning Collaborative Learning Commons, Zach has written in support of my posting on Hamburger Management. His comments about an actual case are worth reading. Here's part of them:
One of the worst aspects of Hamburger Management is the way it feeds on itself, denying managers the time and space even to look and see why they are feeling so stressed and short of time. So, start anywhere you can to make changes. Systems interlock, so if you keep at it, you'll deal with everything in due time.
"The other day I introduced a client I’ve been working with to a systems based view of organizational dynamics. After a couple of diagraming sessions, they were believers. The sources of the stress and pressure they were facing were captured clearly in a series of arrows, actions and loops. Suddenly they could see why the problem was not one thing, it was everything.
If it’s everything, where do you begin? Two places—simultaneously.
One: you. You must must change; learn how to adapt to the complexity around you.
Two: somewhere. The nice thing about systems is they’re fundamentally circular. To facilitate change you can begin anywhere. However, choosing a place where you have leverage is key.
So, if you don’t want to be a hamburger manager change yourself. Change the way you prioritize and allocate time."
One of the worst aspects of Hamburger Management is the way it feeds on itself, denying managers the time and space even to look and see why they are feeling so stressed and short of time. So, start anywhere you can to make changes. Systems interlock, so if you keep at it, you'll deal with everything in due time.
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