IT Management Slideshow: 7 Ways to Prevent Organizational Problems

7 Ways to Prevent Organizational Problems

1. Look for and root out complexity that clouds visibility of risks, such as ambiguous lines of authority or complex matrix structures.

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2. Analyze organizational units and prioritize problem-finding activities on those with the highest financial impact.

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3. Get out of your office and seek out unfiltered opinions from on the front lines and periphery of the department.

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4. Look out for gatekeepers in the organization who might, intentionally or unintentionally, shield you from bad news.

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5. Seek out workers who have weathered previous downturns to see if they might recognize problematic organizational patterns they've seen before.

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6. Try to observe real customers, employees and suppliers in action so that you don't have to rely just on what people tell you; nothing beats close observation for finding problems.

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7. Don't let employees scapegoat the recession for all of your organization's woes. Look for deeper issues that will persist no matter the state of the economy.