|
|
||
| DESCRIPTION | |
| When it's lacking: - Great importance is placed on fitting in. - Sameness rules. - Requests for an office or an "away" space are routinely turned down, even when the request is well-justified. - Differences are viewed as something to "deal with" -- as opposed to something to value and "capitalize on." |
When it's thriving: + Individuality is encouraged. + People are comfortable being themselves. + The organization respects the fact that people sometimes need their own space (even in this era of teams!). |
| EXAMPLES |
| Stan fondly recalls his supervisory work at a plant that made PVC piping. For 10
years, he says, he typically saw his boss only two hours a week. "He was always
there if I needed him to clear the way on something, but other than that, he stayed
out of our way and let us get our work done." Kathleen was in the business of helping people to help themselves. Working for a government agency, she put unemployed residents in touch with local training opportunities. A number of her clients went on to build their skills and become a part of the workforce. That was the great part. The awful part had to do with working in a massive system in which she and her colleagues felt like numbers. Everything seemed so...homogenous. When it started to kill her spirit, she bolted. Her new job represents the ultimate in autonomy: She's an independent real-estate agent. Imagine working with convicted murderers, rapists, and armed robbers. That's a daily reality for Karen, who works as an inmate counselor in one of America's toughest maximum-security prisons. If someone needs to enroll in a substance-abuse program, or if they need help mailing some letters, they turn to Karen. It's an incredibly demanding job, and she would give anything for her own private work space -- to do her paperwork, take calls from inmate family members, and simply get away for a few minutes. She poses what seems like a very reasonable question: "Considering what I do, is it too much to ask?" |
| ACTION IDEAS |
| Take a look around you. To what degree can you see signs of thriving individuality?
Have people decorated their work spaces? Do differences come out in how people dress?
Are conversations marked by streaks of independent thinking? Get a fix on all this,
then decide on several simple ways to foster a healthy sense of independence among
your colleagues. Turn them into action as soon as possible. For example, you may
know that Joan is especially effective as a devil's advocate -- yet this part of
her style has gone underground, in part because the organization favors people who
are chronically agreeable. Do what you can to let Joan be Joan. At an upcoming meeting,
make a point of asking her for a thorough critique of that project, idea, software,
etc. Focus on yourself: Have you been able to preserve your independence -- to be your own person in addition to being part of a collective effort? Identify one way in which the organization seems to have stifled your uniqueness, then commit to a personal plan for bringing that uniqueness back to life. What about the physical layout of your workplace? Is there a quiet retreat space for people who want it? Your organization may have -- or should have -- a "community space" to promote relationship-building and oneness. A "reading room" or "think space" can serve as the perfect complement. |
| Copyright 1998-2002 by Tom Terez and Tom Terez Workplace Solutions, Inc. P.O. Box 21444, Columbus, Ohio USA 43221-0444. Tel. 614-571-9529..mail@BetterWorkplaceNow.com HOME | 10-Minute Briefing | Free Online Tools | Insight and Inspiration | Laugh and Learn | Buzzword Bingo | Kits, Books, and Tools | Keynotes and Services | Meet Tom Terez | Tell a Friend | Bronze Access |
+