Doing BusinessPut a Little Flair Into It

Reprinted from a February 2009 blog at www.walshal.wordpress.com

Walsh Enterprises Business & Financial AdvisorsHuntington Beach, California USAhttp://www.awalsh.uswalshal1@aol.com(714) 465-2749

I started my business career in the late 1970s.  At that time, a trend was starting to develop that carried through the 1980’s; mainly in largecorporations.

In a nutshell, companies were squashing individuality, andinstitutionalizing uniformity – in executives, in employees, in products, inprocesses, in marketing, and in their public personas.

It was rooted in a desire to cut costs, avoid controversy, and find the“perfect across-the-board management style”.  The advent of more &more powerful Business Process Systems spurred it on to some extent.This philosophy is still prevalent in many businesses today.

I’m convinced that General Motors created the root problem which has brought them to their current sorry-state by enacting thisphilosophy.  The “finance mentality” took over from the designers,causing a set of actions that culminated in boring cars, reducedcreativity,  stultifying parts & manufacturing uniformity, and a drop inquality.  The Divisions, which had previously bred wide-

spread innovationin their zeal to compete with each other and differentiate themselves,were reduced to sad look-alikes.  The whole company took on a pathetic“vanilla” flavor which persists to this day.  Car shows used to be a “rite ofpassage”, with fathers & sons and buddies eagerly rushing down for apeek at the new designs.  Those days are long gone.

Just a vestige of a bygone era?  I don’t think so.  I think it’s managementgone awry.  Look around and tell me if you don’t see the same conditionsin other companies today.

Yes, companies must be cost-effective.  Yes, they must exert certaindisciplines.  Yes, the Business Process Systems of today tend to enforcecertain constraints.  And yes, certain outside factors restrict freedom ofaction (such as federal standards which restrict the design-freedom ofauto manufacturers).  But ultimately businesses are run by humans (ormismanaged as the case may be).  They are the ultimate decisionmakers, and they have choices – or at least should have.  The “machines”are just dumb tools.

If companies are to differentiate themselves from the “herd”, the humanswho run them must exercise a little freedom of action.

The most effective executives & managers I’ve known are colorful peoplewho bring personal style to their work.

The most effective organizations I’ve worked with have a variety of colorful people who bring varying perspectives;  sometimes fighting likecats & dogs.  A smart CEO who learns to channel disagreementconstructively will have a healthier & more productive team.

At every level, people are more effective when they’re given some latitudeto approach their work in the way that best suits them.

Internal competition, if properly channeled, is healthy.

Designers and innovators need some latitude.  They’re the ones whobuild the company’s present & future.

Companies are ill-served by leaders & employees who are performing

“mechanically”.

The people who shape the company’s outward image – from both

product and corporate standpoints – should be looking for every clever

way to differentiate themselves from their competition.

The zeal to control costs & profits should not be allowed to reach such a

state that the producers & creators are stifled.

Business Process Improvement (BPI) Systems can help ensure thatyou’re “Doing It Right”, but it’s up to humans to ensure that you’re“Doing The Right Thing” (the subject of a recent article).  In their zeal to“Do It Right”, some companies impose so many restrictions on thehumans that it’s no longer possible to “Do The Right Thing”; or it getslost in the “noise”.

Corporate culture starts at the top.  So ask yourself Mr. CEO, what kind ofcompany do you want?  - a “GM-style automaton” – or a living,breathing,  fighting, competing, creating, innovating, unique, colorfulorganization that has flair seeping from every pore?

Given the unique and ominous challenges we’re facing in the current

economy, this question takes on more importance than ever before.

What’s your opinion?   If you think I’m “full of it” – tell me why.