Systematically Disabling 83% of Employees

By Michelle Malay Carter on September 10, 2008 

I\'m OK. You\'re OK. Let\'s fix the systemThe Good News
Humans are ready, willing, and able to work.? It is a psychological imperative for humans.?? By work I mean, the exercising of judgment and discretion in solving problems and reaching goals.?? Because all work involves judgment and discretion, all work is creative.

We are not all identically interested nor capable of equal work, but we are all ready, willing, and able to work, barring disability.

The Unconsidered Costs Us Dearly
Though individual disability is a reality, we rarely consider systematic disabilities, those caused as a result of the system within which we are working.

Why Engagement Sits at about 20%
PeopleFit research, with over 5,000 data points, points to about 83% of employees having to compensate for at least one?systematic disability.? Often, employees are the victims of multiple systematic disabilities.

Disable:?\dis-‘a-bel\
to make incapable or ineffective.

I’m OK.? You’re OK.? Let’s fix the system.
When we mismatch people to roles, mismatch people to managers, or over or under layer or organizations, we disable people – honest, hardworking, motivated, competent people are made incompetent or ineffective.?

Requisite Organization Design
Because we don’t understand work levels, we are unable to design requisite work enabling organizations.? We are paying a huge price both monetarily and in quality of life.

Squandered Talent
During my 10 years in the corporate world, I worked for 3 organizations, had 12 different job titles, and 7 managers.? Never once was I afforded the opportunity for full engagement, i.e. a role that matched my capability, paired with a manager who could provide me requisite leadership, paired with requisite vertical organizational layering.? I was systematically disabled in every instance.? I suffered.? My managers suffered.? My organizations suffered.? My family suffered.

What a crime of ignorance we are committing upon ourselves.

Have you ever been systematically disabled??

Filed Under Employee Engagement, Executive Leadership, Organization Design, Requisite Organization, Talent Management, Work Levels

Comments

One Response to “Systematically Disabling 83% of Employees”

  1. Performance Evaluations, Rating Scales, and Fraud | Mission Minded Management on September 15th, 2008 7:32 am

    […] like prostitutes?? Day after day, employees contort themselves to fit into broken systems, and they come home to their families damaged.? The answer to employee engagement is not free dry cleaning; it’s requisitely designed […]