How Do You Spell I.R.O.N.Y?
A good friend of mine runs a large distribution company, and they’re approaching that stage of going from a mid-market company to large-market company. And with this growth comes some fun moments that he and I joke about. Two recent gems he mentioned to me included:
- The company was paying interns overtime so they could analyze their overtime expense
- A mass meeting tomorrow to let people know that they’re no longer going to have mass meetings in favor of smaller ones
While this might make you think of Michael Scott of The Office, the interesting thing in this case is that unlike most companies, my friend’s company is doing things to understand and ultimately reduce unproductive complexity. In the vast majority of instances, things like meetings or overtime expense become part of corporate culture with little questioning as they become considered “business as usual”. When you hear or think those three little terms, you know there may be a problem.
Of course, just having a meeting or analyzing overtime isn’t enough. Ultimately, you’ll have to take steps to improve the situation. But diagnosing the problem is important, of course, before prescribing a solution.
I’ll leave you with one of Michael Scott’s greatest quotes - “You may look around and see two groups here; white collar, blue collar. But I don’t see it that way, and you know why not? Because I am collar-blind.”
