Organisations dislike efficiency.  They prefer to sprawl and grow and preferably in an uncontrolled fashion.  Tentacles of influence spread inside and outside the business as it grows and develops.  Costs start to gather pace, ‘justified’ expenditure increases and the ‘do-without’ culture becomes ‘must-have’.

People get titles and importance, and sometimes it can all be a bit too much.  So arguments arise, people complain and in the process the business stalls as the new found office politics take hold.

In the panic we create job specifications, rules & regulations, processes and procedures and the dreaded authorisation forms.  We layer controls on our people to stop things going wrong, but then if not careful we stop any progress whatsoever as the thrust and drive that comes from personal responsibility ebbs away!

And it’s all about efficiency, or a lack of efficiency.  How can we get our people to do their best, for themselves and the organisation?  Well a good place to start is by demonstrating the value of every person to the business and by making sure they have the tools and support to do the job.  Every person in your team is vital, because taken together they drive the efficiency and profit; from the post room to the boardroom.