Workplace 'Waste' May Be More Useful Than You Think - ' Web '
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'Work'?">
Web "Work"?
Internet surfing is another activity that could qualify as "waste" or work, depending on the person, what they use it for and what they look at.
For some, Web-surfing is a decompression routine before taking on the next slug of work. Others like to surf subjects related to their work that aren't specifically related to the task at hand.
To the Soviet Syndrome sufferer, however, Web surfing is "waste." In the U.S., we call this activity "education. "
Finally, it's worth noting that in the survey 33 percent of respondents said they did these other things when they didn't have any work to do, which weakens the whole definition of "waste."
As I mentioned when I introduced the Soviet Syndrome, one of the emotions that sucks managers into this operational behavior is triggered by the fear that staff will do work not assigned to them, making the "manager " feel like she's not in control.
Managers like this usually fear making a mistake more than they fear doing nothing at all.
So, frequently, the reason the person has nothing to do is that the manager is dithering, or is just afraid to make any decision at all.
Frequently, of course, large organizations reinforce this behavior by rewarding a lack of mistakes, rather than evidence of success, with promotions or job security.
So by asserting more control, Soviet Syndrome managers lose control of work resources to hours spent doing things they consider "waste."
Ironic but true: That impulse, in all its incarnations, is what brought down the Soviet Union.
You can join them in the rubble of organizational history if you just follow the hearts of those Soviet Syndrome managers dotted around your shop.
My advice? Don't waste your time.
Jeff Angus is a management consultant and has been working with IT since 1974. He has held IT management positions in user interface design, marketing, operations and testing/analysis. Look for his book, "Management by Baseball: A Pocket Reader." Jeff's columns have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Baltimore Sun. He can be reached at jeff.angus@comcast.net.
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