Cognitive Surplus Gone Bad at San Diego State
By Michelle Malay Carter on May 13, 2008
I guess the demands of the college life and fraternity membership aren’t enough to keep all students occupied.
High cognitive capacity + Character issues = Trouble
Undercover agents busted 128 suspected drug dealers at San Diego State University last week.
Even Criminals Use Work Levels
During the investigation, agents posing as students found their way to Fraternity Row. There, they discovered six Theta Chi Fraternity members operating a sophisticated drug business, with younger “apprentice” members accompanying older members to drug deals in order to learn how the business was run, authorities say.
One informant told prosecutors that profits from drug sales were plowed back into the fraternity’s operating budget.
The ringleader? A 19-year-old.
Had he not been caught, he was likely headed for the C-Suite. With a good attorney and some electronic identity cleansing, he may still make it there in 10 or 20 years.
Filed Under High Potential, Personal Observation, Requisite Organization, Work Levels | 2 Comments
When To Overhire – An Exception to My Rule
By Michelle Malay Carter on May 12, 2008
Talent Pipeline Development
My posts last week on over hiring stirred many comments. Thank you! Bloggers love comments. And you, my astute readers, sniffed out the one instance when you might choose to over hire – when you are preparing for growth.
A Conscious Choice not an Ignorant One
However, overhiring as a conscious choice of a talent planning component of a growth strategy is not what caused the striking statistic I used repeatedly last week – one in five employees is underutilized. Rather, this situation is clearly the result of ignorance.
System Design Considerations When Consciously Overhiring
When overhiring consciously, it should be wrapped in dialog about growth expectations for the organization and the employee.
Whenever possible, underutilized employees’ work should be supplemented with opportunities to lead or help with special projects which tap their full capacity.
Possibly, more face time with their manager-once-removed (i.e. their likely next manager) should be afforded to them.
The point is, don’t leave them unvalidated or unattended.
Don’t Tarry
It likely goes without being said that when consciously overhiring, aim for promoting the overhired as quickly as possible. Because, back to the unattended idea, a simmering pan on the stove will eventually dry up, damage the pan, and potentially burn down the building! (Did I say that?)
I’m OK. You’re OK. Let’s fix the system.
Have you ever consciously overhired? How did it go?
Filed Under Corporate Values, Employee Engagement, High Potential, Managerial Leadership, Organization Design, Requisite Organization, Strategy, Succession Planning, Talent Management, Work Levels | 5 Comments
Requisite Organization Training Course – June 4 – Raleigh-Durham, NC, USA
By Michelle Malay Carter on May 11, 2008
Still a few seats left…
Who and What Will Work, When, and Why:
Using a Requisite Model to Enable Effectiveness and Engagement
June 4, 2008
Regus Corporate Center, Meridian Parkway, Durham
8:30 am – 11:30
$150 – Click to Register and Pay Online-Scroll to Bottom of Page
Many mainstream management models focus on fixing individual employees through training or coaching, rather than addressing systemic issues that drive dysfunctional behavior. This is only half the story.
A Systems View Diagnostic Model
Training and coaching can help under some circumstances, with some people, sometimes. This course offers participants a powerful, science-based diagnostic model for determining who and what will work, when, and why.
Workshop Take-Aways
At the end of this workshop, participants will understand the Requisite Organization framework that allows them to:
- Match employees to roles that allow for the fullest expression of their gifts.
- Match employees to managers who can provide them satiating leadership.
- Structure the organization to catalyze free flow of communication and leadership both vertically and horizontally.
Creating Work Enabling Organizations
Work has the potential to be a noble, highly-gratifying expression of a unique human soul. This course will show participants how to structure their organizations to support employees and enable their work.
I?m OK. You?re OK. Let?s fix the system.
Space Is Limited to 24 Participants – Register Today
If you?re tired of fixing employees and are ready to address the system, click here to register and pay. (Scroll to the bottom to see they Pay Button.)
Speakers
Mission Minded Management blogger, Michelle Malay Carter will lead this course and George Smart of Strategic Development will speak briefly on his application of these ideas to executive coaching ? and solving the problems typically faced by executives seeking coaching.
Filed Under Employee Engagement, Executive Leadership, Managerial Leadership, Organization Design, Requisite Organization, Talent Management, Work Levels | Comments Off on Requisite Organization Training Course – June 4 – Raleigh-Durham, NC, USA
What to Do with Our Cognitive Surplus? A Friday Funny
By Michelle Malay Carter on May 8, 2008
Paul Hebert at Fistful of Talent does a nice job of summarizing the issue of “cognitive surplus” that he ran across on Barry L. Ritholtz’s The Big Picture blog.?
One in Five Employees is Underutilized
These ideas line up nicely with my posts this week and our research that says 1 in 5 employees is underutilized.? If people are not using their full capability at work, they will seek other venues.
The Proof is in Our Pastimes
Heberts says:? “There is a “cognitive surplus” in the world that has been ignored and underutilized for quite a while – and the new social and participative technologies are starting to unleash it. He [Ritholtz]?makes the point on his post that Wikipedia represents about 100 million hours of “volunteer” time. He further says that television watching in the US amounts to about 200 billion hours of time. That’s billion with a “B.” Therefore, we have the cognitive surplus in the US alone to create 2,000 Wikipedias. He mentions that just on a weekend the US spends 100 million hours just watching the ads on TV.”
What Does Underutilization Look Like?
Different temperaments will manifest their untapped capability differently.? Sometimes underutilized employees become the office practical jokester, like Jim Halpert on The Office.? Take 56 seconds out for a laugh today.
Have you ever been underutilized at work?? How did you channel your excess capability?
Filed Under Employee Engagement, High Potential, Requisite Organization, Talent Management | 6 Comments
Hiring Advice for Seth Godin – Beware of Six Month Syndrome
By Michelle Malay Carter on May 8, 2008
Working Interviews
Kris Dunn at HR Capitalist resurfaced an idea put forth by Seth Godin a while back – when interviewing a candidate, rather than chatting, you should make them work. Copywriters should copywrite. Widget designers should design widgets.
A Good Idea – With a Caveat, Hirer Beware
I have no problem with this, and like most interviewing techniques, this will help you in your quest not to under-hire. But it might backfire as I explained yesterday because it may cause you to overhire. Over qualified candidates would likely do really well under this circumstance.
The Sinister Six Month Syndrome
As a matter of fact, over qualified candidates usually do really well within organizations for about six months. Sadly, just about the time the manager is patting himself on the back for a hiring job well done, a shift occurs, and the candidate’s attitude may change. Extroverts may begin to “mouth off”; introverts may withdrawal.
What’s Happened?
Matching a person to a job has three components:
1. Knowledge, skills, experience – can they do the job?
2. Values and temperament – will they do the job?
3. Cognitive Capacity – could they do the job? (if the two other factors were in place)
Learning is Engaging
Six Month Syndrome is related to the third factor. Any new job will have a learning curve, even if you are experienced. You need to learn the culture, the people, the processes with the organization. When someone is overqualified in the cognitive capacity realm, the first six months they are traversing their learning curve, but due to their excess cognitive capacity, they’ll have most of their learning wrapped up at about six months. The job itself will no longer be challenging, and there is nothing worse than being bored at work. Our research shows this is a reality for about 1 in 5 people.
Micromanaging Up
Add to that fact that when you are over qualified, you are likely qualified to work at your manager’s job’s level so, suddenly, his work will be more attractive than yours.
Have you ever found a manager who enjoyed being told how to do his job? This is what we might call micromanaging up. Suddenly, your formerly admiring manager might start to experience you as a little arrogant, impatient, showy or disrespectful. The manager will now start wondering what to do about your attitude problem, as you won’t stop playing in his sandbox. Straighten up!
Follow the Leader
To add insult to injury, you won’t find your manager’s advice or leadership satisfying. His thinking won’t add value to yours, as you two are cognitive peers. Humans naturally seek leadership from those who are cognitively ahead of us. Within organizations when this is not our boss, it can be our manager’s manager. Unfortunately, going over the manager’s head for leadership is usually not well received within organizations either. Straighten up!
Let’s Avoid Overhiring
Overhiring is a no win situation for the candidate, the hiring manager, or the organization, but it happens 1 in 5 times. A clear understanding of work levels can cut down on this confusion.
I’m OK. You’re OK. Let’s fix the system.
Have you ever been an attitude problem? Have you ever hired one?
Filed Under Employee Engagement, High Potential, Managerial Leadership, Requisite Organization, Talent Management, Work Levels | 6 Comments
Hiring Star Performers Can Be a Mistake – The Dangers of Overhiring
By Michelle Malay Carter on May 7, 2008
With all the buzz about hiring the best and the brightest, few people talk about the downside of overhiring.
Overhiring Trumps Underhiring
Our data shows one in five people is in a role that does not tap their full capacity, i.e. they’ve been overhired in a role. In contrast, only 15% are slotted in roles that they simply do not have the mental bandwidth to handle. So our data shows that overhiring is a larger problem than underhiring. Either shoots engagement in the foot.
Last week, I taught a course called Judging Candidate Potential. It was as much about teaching first level managers how not to OVERHIRE as it was to teach higher level managers not to underhire.
Why Understanding Work Levels is an Imperative
We’re back to work levels, folks. You have to understand the work in order to hire someone whose cognitive capability matches the complexity level of the work. If you overhire, they’ll be bored and will annoy their manager. If you underhire, they won’t do the work you need done.
Extra Capacity? – Extra Time for Complaining, Criticizing, Gaming the System
My experience and that of my clients is that overhired, thus underemployed, individuals wreak more havoc, more quickly within organizations than those who are incapable.
I wrote about this in an article called, What to Do About Attitude Problems? Promote Them! When I wrote the article, quite a few people called me and said, you wrote that article about me didn’t you?
Being Underemployed Hurts
Have you ever been underemployed? My friend and fellow blogger, Forrest Christian, equates it to being forced to work standing in a 3 foot attic crawl space all day. Sure, you can do it, but it’s exhausting – mentally and physically.
Untapped Potential
With all the flap about the war for talent, I’m amazed at all the talent that currently resides within organizations – untapped. I’m OK. You’re OK. Let’s fix the system.
What’s your experience been with underemployment?
Photo Credit: Dennis G. Jerz, Somewhere Nearby is Colossal Cave
Filed Under Employee Engagement, Organization Design, Requisite Organization, Talent Management, Work Levels | 11 Comments
If You’re Happy and You Know It, Will It Last?
By Michelle Malay Carter on May 5, 2008
I’m finally reading Upping The Downside. The first half of the book features articles by a variety of authors. At least two discuss the concept of feel-good happiness versus values-based happiness as coined by Dr. Steven Reiss.
Feel-Good Happiness
Americans consume as a means of chasing feel-good happiness like a drug addict desperate to score his next hit. Unfortunately, like a drug high, feel-good happiness is fleeting.
Values-Based Happiness
Conversely, values-based happiness can be experienced even when we feel badly. It is the general feeling of well being derived from living a meaningful life.
The Disengagement Ripple Effect
One place people have an opportunity to feel purposeful is at work, but the research is showing only 20% of us are engaged at work. You’re blind if you don’t see the widespread social implications of this statistic.
I’m OK. You’re OK. Let’s fix the system.?
Which form of happiness are you chasing?
Filed Under Corporate Values, Employee Engagement, Organization Design, Talent Management | 4 Comments
So Just What is a Democratic Workplace?
By Michelle Malay Carter on April 29, 2008
Competitive Elections and Majority Rule?
I’ve been pondering this for a while. I looked up the definition of democracy on wikipedia, and unfortunately, there is no three sentence definition. However, it states, that competitive elections is the most common thread. Additionally, majority rule is the next usual predominant feature.
(FYI – The USA is a representative democracy not a direct one, so it does not strictly follow majority rules – much to Al Gore’s chagrin.)
I Can’t Get on Board with Democratic Workplaces
I’m against democratic workplaces (within managerial hierarchies which excludes parnerships, associations, boards, churches) for these very reasons. Competitive elections is not even worth talking about. And, quite frankly, majority rule is a slippery slope into madness.
Collaborative and Democratic Are NOT Synonyms
I’ve noticed some people use the phrases “collaborative workplace” and “democratic workplace” as synonyms. In my mind, they are two entirely different issues.
I’m all for collaboration. I’m all for listening to all all pertinent parties. What I am in strict opposition to is majority rule. If we ever hope to have accountable workplaces, the person who is being ultimately held accountable for a task or project must also have the authority to decide at the choice points along with way (within the boundaries and resources set by his manager). All can input (collaborate). The accountable person decides.
John Caddell at Shop Talk – Innovation wrote a post on WorldBlu’s 2008 List of Democratic Workplaces. WorldBlu evaluations companies on ten factors:
1. Purpose and Vision
2. Transparency
3. Dialogue + Listening
4. Fairness + Dignity
5. Accountability
6. Individual + Collective
7. Choice
8. Integrity
9. Decentralization
10. Reflective + Evaluation
Maybe I’m On Board with Democratic Workplaces?
Interestingly, there is nothing about competitive elections nor majority rule here either. So maybe I’m for Democratic workplaces?? Without having studied WorldBlu’s definitions, I can back most of what’s on the list above.
We Need a Better Name for the Model
I think the term Democratic Workplace is a poor term. Am I wrong in thinking that most people associate democracy with competitive elections and majority rule? If so, let’s not muddy the waters by picking a misleading term for organizations that have neither. There has got to be something better. Any ideas?
Are you confused by this as well?
Photo Credit: FreeFoto.com
Filed Under Accountability, Corporate Values, Organization Design, Requisite Organization, Strategy, Talent Management | 11 Comments
Operationalizing Innovation – Accountabilities by Work Level
By Michelle Malay Carter on April 28, 2008
I’ve said before that innovation should be an expectation at all levels, but innovation will look different at different work levels. All work has creative elements to it.
Current Operations Versus Strategic
Innovation at the bottom three levels of the organization will add value to current operations. Levels 4 and up should be adding “strategic” value for the future.
Operationalizing Innovation
If we want to”operationalize” the idea of innovation, then one part of that is establishing explicit accountabilities around innovation.
In its simplest form, the accountabilities for innovation at each level, fall out like my list below.
Innovation Accountabilities by Work Level
Level 6 – Refine or improve the combined impact of multiple business units and strategies
Level 5 – Refine or improve strategy, business model
Level 4 – Refine or improve infrastructure to deliver strategy
Level 3 – Refine or improve serial processes to include contingency plans
Level 2 – Refine or improve procedures, line training
Level 1 – Refine or improve personal skills and knowledge
The Teamwork Element
When we begin to talk about levels, some get their feathers ruffled thinking I’m being elitist. I am not saying that people at lower levels will never have a break through idea that adds value up multiple levels. It happens, but I am saying the accountability for higher-level innovation rests at higher levels.
For example, it would be silly to hold McDonalds’ front line employees accountable for innovating around McDonalds’ supply chain.
Each level is accountable to provide key input to the level above (i.e. their manager) and, at appropriate times, may provide input at three-level meetings, which will influence the next higher level(s) innovation, but my list above shows which level is accountable for each type of innovation.
Some times these improvements are transformational and some times they are incremental.
Do you think a system-wide, work levels clarification of innovation accountabilities would help drive innovation within organizations?
I’m OK. You’re OK. Let’s fix the system.
Photo Credit: Weird Things
Filed Under Accountability, Employee Engagement, Executive Leadership, Managerial Leadership, Organization Design, Requisite Organization, Strategy, Work Levels | 3 Comments
A Daily Prescription for Attitude Problems – A Friday Funny
By Michelle Malay Carter on April 24, 2008
If your micro-manager suddenly volunteers to bring you coffee in the morning, you might want to check the bottom of the cup for sarcasma residue.
Like the can’t-sit-still children waiting for their ritalin outside the school nurse’s door, can’t you see the unruly corporate under-employed being lined up to have their daily sarcasma pill administered by HR?
Filed Under Corporate Values, Talent Management | 2 Comments
Subscribe in a reader