THE METAPHOR IN THE MACHINE

Hanna Thoren

I was reminded recently, dipping into some LinkedIn forums, how the machine metaphor is endemic in organisational thinking. I guess this is a legacy from the 20th century, during which machines dominated our development across the board.

But I've seen this metaphor in action and I've seen the damage it does....................

If you want your organisation to run like a well-oiled machine, then its elements should behave predictably - but its elements are people and people have a chaotic, emotional, unpredictable aspect to them, which is the antithesis of machine behaviour. So trying to build a deterministic organisation out of unpredictable pieces is not going to have a happy outcome.

And then there is the environment in which the machine operates, comprising social, political and economic elements, all of which are intrinsically chaotic.

So, just at a theoretical level, trying to create a machine-like organisation out of unpredictable bits in a unpredictable world really won't cut the mustard.

And, surprise, surprise - it doesn't work in practice either!

DROP DEAD SUCCESSFUL

Of the Top 5 Regrets of the Dying, number 2 (coming from every male patient) is...

"I WISH I HADN'T WORKED SO HARD"

Nuff said?

THE TOOL AND ITS APPLICATION

I've just responded to a criticism of QR codes. QR stands for Quick Response and refers to 2-dimensional bar codes. BA have an app that allows me to get through airport security and board BA flights with an iPhone, using a QR code.

The criticism centres on how they can be used to direct smart phones that are capable of reading them, to spam/malware sites with dark intentions.

It reminded me of how easy it is to rubbish the tool because of one of its applications.

QR codes are not very interesting to look at, so I've used a picture of another tool being applied in a contentious way.

HARVEY NICKS SELLS SOILED GOODS

Has Harvey Nichols just shot itself in the foot (again). A recent promotional flyer (A5, thick, quality card, impeccable printing) featured a 30-something stick-thin model in spray-on trousers peeing herself in anticipation of the sales.

Sales Director Anna claimed it was a reference to Pretty Woman. I don’t remember Julia Roberts walking around in urine-stained trousers….

Now I am not in the least bit outraged by this ad - just surprised that it fits with HN's demographic. I'd love to know how it affected sales.

TRUST - HOW DO YOU BOTTLE IT?

A recent LinkedIn discussion zoomed in on the issue of trust and particularly the question of how you cultivate it in others. How do you bottle it and dispense it when required?

Lots of debate followed which was tempting to engage with.

But then the penny dropped: If I just focus on who and what I trust - and to hell with what others think about me - then the whole issue goes away.

Just make sure that you trust yourself as well...

WARRING DRAGONS

Have you noticed how often the dragons of Dragons' Den disagree over what is and what isn't a viable business proposition? Sometimes to the point of agressive and entertaining argument.

This leads me to the unequivocal conclusion that those esteemed business gurus must be wrong - and completely wrong - at least some of the time. After all if two people disagree they can't both be right.

Now there are two ways forward from this notion:

1. If the dragons can't be right all the time, what chance do we mere mortals have of being right at all?

2. The dragons are mere mortals too - and we are as well equipped to make decisions as they are.

Which of these beliefs define your behaviour?

THE ART OF INFLUENCE AND PERSUASION

Persuasion and Influence are seen as the Holy Grail in many professions. From trade unions to advertising agencies, the clamour to change minds, alter perceptions and shift entrenched positions is deafening.

I'd be surprised if nearly every being on the planet hasn't attempted to sway another being at one time or another. It's endemic...but does it work?

My experience of persuasion has often been that the more effort one applies, the more resistance one encounters. And that, most definitely, also applies to sales and marketing.

There is another way. It's counter-intuitive; it's very simple; it's quite difficult; it works in a mysterious way...

It's listening.

Yes, you heard...

Listening is the most effective form of influence and persuasion. Now what do you think?

BIG SALARY = GREAT PERFORMANCE - DISCUSS

Big jobs need big money - you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.

It's a no brainer...

Or is it?

What if the employee, or the CEO hates their job, does it to a mediocre standard and stays put because they can't afford to move?

Then we get Big Salary = Poor Performance.

It's a no brainer.

FLYING WITHOUT WINGS

Working with a client recently I was reminded of Aesop and his fable about the Tortoise and Eagle.

The tortoise wants to fly and gets the Eagle to take her aloft... needless to say it all goes wrong.

The point is that many of us, entrepreneurs included, have a bit of the tortoise in us - we ignore our own basic limitations and try and work through them. And I've done plenty of that!

Fully accepting your limitations can be a huge relief. It was for my client who has realised that he is not the guy to run his company. He needs to step aside and bring in someone that has the right skill set.

So don't let your ego push you into flying without wings.
Thanks to Stephanie Smith for a lovely illustration

HOTELS TO FAMILY BUSINESS

Alex Polizzi is about to jump ship from Channel 5 to the BBC to present a series on failing family businesses.

Should be good - I've enjoyed the Hotel Inspector and reckon she'll turn a few families around too.

Having worked with a few families myself I can attest to the completely different dynamic that they bring to a business - not easy, so good luck!

And just like her hotel adventures, I bet she'll encounter a degree of recidivism - but more on that another time...