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- Divisions and departments often have different objectives. If
their members cannot find common values and goals, they will not
cooperate.
- Employees are more knowledgeable and comfortable being solo
contributors than being thorough members of a team, despite the need for
interdependency in most work. This is exaggerated when, through their
reward systems, organizations encourage employees to compete with one
another. Teamwork is a concept that must be learned and applied
throughout the organization.
- Employees are neither trained nor prepared to negotiate shared
areas of responsibility and productivity gaps comfortably.
- Supervisors may state their expectations of employee job
performance, but they usually do not know how to do so in a way that can
be heard and understood effectively.
- Organizational problems and responsibilities are analyzed from
individual or departmental viewpoints, rather than from that of the
organization as a whole. Good decisions are further undermined by a
short-term, crisis approach to problem-solving.
- Managers would rather do the work themselves than take
responsibility for motivating others to do their best work. To motivate
each employee to contribute maximum productivity, managers must
demonstrate insight, dedication and flexibility.
- Executives need significant information from front-line employees
to make good decisions. Yet they seldom know how to ask for meaningful
information, input or feedback from employees.
- Differences in personality, approach to tasks and individual
values create even more friction and tension than that caused by racial
or cultural background differences.
- Good communication requires trust, a suspension of assumptions
and hard work, which most organizations do not demonstrate
well from executive level downward to front line
employees.
- Small and large changes occur constantly
within organizations, but the emotions these changes generate are seldom
addressed. Employees can more easily adapt to change if they are
prepared, included and supported.
Does your organization demonstrate
any of these deficits? Remember ... even well-functioning organizations have
room for improvement.
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