Are management decisions the worst enemy of an organization?
In some work environments, the decisions taken in the name of quality control measures do actually prevent workgroups from rectifying issues as they arise. The management proclaims that they focus on being compliant or streamlining the internal processes but the results state otherwise. This makes the situation worse and the issues would compound and spread into all corners of the organization.
As a standard, the management's view is that the workgroups/teams/units/departments were not following processes. The problem isn't that the strategies are ill-conceived and aligned with operational needs but they are actually in place for the sole purpose of compliance. This is due to a standard downward communication model and other bad business practices that make the work environment more toxic every single passing day. As such, there are usually no mechanisms in place to give feedback and/or no quality reviews on the processes themselves. The processes are not measured and finger-pointing becomes the norm, instead. The “Why Analysis” always stops at “who” instead of “why”. Every error is satisfied when it can be aligned and the blame assigned.
The bottom line is, while managers may think they have good intentions, failing to consult, using Omnidirectional communication, and measuring the effectiveness of policy and process always hampers the effectiveness of the workforce and perpetuate errors. This makes me believe that decision-making and influencing are two critical skill sets that every employee in a leadership position needs to have.
For those employees whom the sparrow depicted represents, especially junior staff, the management can trim, cut, and tie your wings. So long as you have loose legs, you can walk in, out, and around. As long as you can see, you can think and then use your mouth to say what needs to be said for the sake of your well-being, the company, customers, and colleagues. And, as long as you have your beak, try to cut the rope and make yourself free. You are not a victim. You are accountable for earning your place and their respect. So long as you have options and courage you still have a chance to succeed.
