Pathology in the structure of the organization is a whole complex of common problems that any company owner once faces. Such an element destroys the very structure of the organization, so it should be immediately disposed of. This can be done using various techniques and methods, a description of which can be found in our article. Also here you will find information about the concept and main types of organizational pathologies. Such knowledge will help build a powerful and disciplined organization.
The essence of organizational pathology
Specialists are two definitions of pathologies in the structure of organizations. First, pathology is a deviation from the norm. It’s quite difficult to adhere to certain rules while conducting a business in view of its various features. As a result of this, various organizational pathologies arise, the essence and types of which will be described in the following sections. For example, one can speak with a certain degree of certainty about staff turnover rates. In some cases, it should be intense, and in others, fairly low. If the enterprise goes beyond the framework of such norms, a certain pathology arises, which has to be fought with various methods.
The second concept of the pathology of organizations is organizational dysfunction - the inability to achieve goals by the means and methods that are used during the work process. When organizational failures of this kind are discovered, the owner of the company should immediately review the production strategy or set more realistic tasks for his employees. Otherwise, a number of issues may arise that will have to be addressed using more serious methods. For example, if the monthly plan is set too high at the factory, managers will be forced to call additional employees to work, who will eventually hang around. This will lead to a decrease in overall productivity.
So what are organizational pathologies, or growth diseases? These are persistent dysfunctions that occur in business organizations that contribute to a decrease in labor productivity and the overall productivity of the enterprise. It is also worth mentioning that such dysfunctions are divided into two types: managerial and construction. It is easy to guess that the former arise due to the incorrect setting of goals and objectives, and the latter due to an improperly prepared business plan.
Bureaucracy
One of the most obvious types of organizational pathologies is bureaucracy. Unfortunately, this term is covered in a mass of stereotypes in the minds of most people, and only a handful of specialists understand what this phenomenon means. Routine, confusion, the cult of unnecessary procedures - these are the basic principles of bureaucracy. Therefore, you should not think that this phenomenon is just a collection of various papers and certificates necessary to obtain some important document. In the organization of business, bureaucracy is not less common than in a regular public institution.
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The source of any bureaucracy is the exploitation of "personal discretion." That is, some employees of the enterprise (managers, deputy directors) can introduce their own production rules, which will add complete confusion to the established organizational process. The best way to avoid such a phenomenon is to establish full transparency of activity and its unification. The owner of the company should draw up a clear schedule of responsibilities for each employee, so that later it doesn’t work out something like: "Semenych says that it is necessary to clean the workplace after the shift, and Mikhalych that the shift change should do this." The bureaucracy can bring discord into the team and significantly slow down the production process.
Lack of subjectivity
The identification of organizational pathologies is a rather painstaking and complex process, which is of great importance for the productivity of any enterprise. One of the most common dysfunctions is the lack of subjectivity on the part of an ordinary employee. How many people from your state really believe that the future of the company depends on them, that they form a very complex organizational mechanism? If at least one gear falls out, the whole device will cease to function at all. That is why it is important to be able to convey to employees not only the importance of the production process, but also their own significance. Even an ordinary cleaner is indispensable for the team. For example, a dirty environment leads to emotional discomfort and a decrease in overall productivity by 10-20%. What can we say about the negligence of a manager who did not succeed on time and did not manage to accept the work done?
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Also, the lack of subjectivity can be manifested not only in the failure to fulfill certain duties, but also in the absence of initiative. Betting on the diligence of each employee is a pretty good strategy that provides reliable growth. However, in order for employees to responsibly fulfill their duties and be able to take the initiative in time, it is necessary to hire several disciplined employees with the psychology of a true leader and with an entrepreneurial spirit. It is important to be able not only to give orders, but also to be able to convey the importance of their execution to employees. Only in this case, the production will bring the desired results.
Stagnation
A fairly well-known segment of enterprise dysfunctions, which most startup entrepreneurs forget about. Stagnation as a type of organizational pathology is the inability to adapt to technological progress and use various innovations for the development of the enterprise. Also, this phenomenon often means the inability to take risks in order to make a profit. However, it should be understood that there is a risk that is active (relatively safe) and radical (dangerous for the entire business).
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During the diagnosis of organizational pathologies, specialists quite often state stagnation to one degree or another. In some cases, you even have to introduce the concept of "passive risk". Some entrepreneurs are so obsessed with the security of their own business that they are afraid to purchase several new production machines, fearing that they will not pay off or break down. Of course, such an attitude is not only absurd, but also leads to absolute pathology that impedes the development of the organization.
Any aspiring entrepreneur should understand that the mere fact that he is the owner of a private enterprise is already a rather risky undertaking. However, a well-known proverb says that only those who can take risks drink champagne. Therefore, you should not be afraid to enter into transactions with new partners and develop your business, acquiring new points in other cities. It is the fear of the unknown that very often makes promising enterprises remain as they are now.
Uncontrollability
The types of organizational pathologies include the loss of control over the managing subsystem. Of course, no one has managed to create an enterprise with full control (perhaps for this all employees should become robots), however, the owner must be able to manage his business, and not transfer this responsibility to outsiders.
Most often, uncontrollability arises in conditions of organizational growth, when managers and administrations have to deal with the emergence of branches, an increase in the number of customers, and the emergence of new units and rules. Even a professional leader can begin to experience serious overload in this case, especially if he has a huge number of other people under his command, each of whom has to explain the new rules and responsibilities.
Also, the lack of motivation of employees to achieve assigned tasks can become a cause of uncontrollability. Management will simply not be able to monitor the performance of duties on the part of each subordinate. As a rule, ordinary employees simply pretend that they work efficiently and fulfill assigned tasks, but in fact they relate to their duties with the utmost negligence. Many will begin to blame the leadership in this case, but the fault is the wrong motivational strategy.
So how to deal with uncontrollability in production? The answer to this question will depend on the reason why this pathology arose at the enterprise. In order to motivate employees to do a good job, it is necessary to introduce a system of cash bonuses for the good performance of tasks. Well, so that the management does not experience overload in the event the company develops, more qualified specialists should be appointed to the positions of managers and administrators. It is best, of course, to choose them from employees worthy of promotion (another option for motivation).
Conflicts
Now you know a little more about methods of dealing with organizational pathologies. However, for the enterprise to have maximum productivity, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with all kinds of dysfunctions and how to eliminate them. For example, one of the most common problems within an organization is conflicts between employees. Such phenomena most often arise due to improper distribution of duties. Who would not be offended that his colleague receives the same salary, but does work that is several times easier? To prevent this from happening, it is recommended that different employees be assigned to the simple duties every day. By the way, such actions will allow to cultivate "universal soldiers" who can cope with any duties. For example, if you train each employee to work at the checkout, then you will never have problems with production if one of the cashiers does not go to work, because you can always appoint a cook or a loader to this position.
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It should also be understood that conflicts within the organization become pathological at the moment when more than two personalities begin to get drawn into them or this directly affects the quality of the work performed. It is worth communicating to employees the fact that individual ambitions should not contradict the principles of the organization. If necessary, threaten the rowdy with dismissal or a fine for failure to fulfill obligations. However, do not overdo it. Your task is to extinguish the conflict within the collective at the stage of origin, and not add fuel to the fire. Otherwise, you risk setting the majority of employees against yourself, after which it will be extremely difficult to regain the location of subordinates. The best option is to warn about the possible consequences of all members of the team in a generalized manner, and not to go over to the individual.
Clique
This term refers to organizational pathology in management, which is characterized by the use of company resources for their own selfish purposes. We are talking about managers and administrators who steal various tools, money or even production products from the enterprise, thereby causing serious damage to the organization. To prevent this from happening, you must use the statistical office. You can introduce your agent into the team, who will report on such misconduct by staff and hold the same position as potential thieves.
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One interesting hypothesis can be cited as an example. For example, one of the deputy directors of a large company was always employed in a highly paid position, but did not appear at work at all, although wages went in an unknown direction. The owner found out about this and dismissed the director and accountant, as they could not help being aware of such frauds. Also, do not forget that such actions are considered theft of company funds and are prosecuted by law.
In business, you can quite often see how one of the ordinary employees takes something home with them - this is quite normal, and such actions, as a rule, do no serious harm. Of course, theft should be punishable, but who committed the biggest offense: the peasant who stole a bag of potatoes from his field for his family, or the feudal lord, leading paper frauds and evading tax payments? Administration, managers and management are able to steal much more than ordinary hard workers, so you need to introduce your person there.
Incompatibility of functions with personality
Among the types of organizational pathologies, there is also the phenomenon of the incompatibility of a person with the need to perform the functions that are assigned to her. It is one thing when an employee does not know how to talk with customers. In this case, it will be enough to send him to work not at the cash register, but to the kitchen. However, the company will suffer much more damage if there are people in leadership positions who do not know anything about management. Of course, this person can be very kind and sociable, and he has been working in the company for a very long time. However, to work as a manager or administrator, a certain talent of a leader is needed, without which the employee will not be able to manage ordinary workers.
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So that your business simply does not fall apart due to the fact that there are people in a leadership position who cannot cope with their duties, try to appoint only those personalities in whom you are really confident. Take a closer look at each employee and make up a certain characteristic about him. If you do not have such an opportunity, let your deputy do it, whose train of thought is very similar to yours. You should always have in stock several potential candidates who can take a leadership position in case of urgent need.
By the way, distinguishing a good manager can be very problematic, so you should also pay attention to the experience of the person who is recorded in the work book. It may happen that a former team leader or head of a production workshop gets a job for you. Such people have leadership experience, so they should be considered as potential candidates for promotion. It will not be difficult to teach such a shot to all the wisdom of your company, but talent and experience in management is a completely different matter.
Inversion
Many aspiring entrepreneurs wonder what inversion means as an organizational pathology. We answer: such a dysfunction is the difference between the result of managerial work and the goal that was set. Most often, pathology occurs against the background of a lack of a motivational program, when the leadership of your company does not seek to increase the productivity of employees, and achieving the set results is constantly complicated by some obstacles that no one wants to solve.
To cope with the inversion, but not lower the bar of goals, it will be enough to introduce an effective motivational program among senior employees. It is best to use a system of cash bonuses for this, which directly depends on the company's revenue. They made a plan in excess of the norm - 20% of further profits are distributed among all employees in a certain ratio. In this case, you will be able to interest not only managers, but also ordinary staff, although the bonuses for it will be insignificant.
Still don't understand what inversion means as an organizational pathology? We give a concrete example. One well-known company faced a rather difficult problem: the management was tasked with earning 30 million of revenue per month, but when calculating it turned out that the sum from sales of products was barely 20 million, although the productivity indicator was at its best and the number of customers was pleasing to the eye. It turned out that the problem lies in the manual, which did not order cashiers to offer customers additional expensive services that could interest buyers with originality. , .
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We hope that our article has helped you understand the types and essence of organizational pathologies. Of course, far from all the dysfunctions that may occur at the enterprise are listed here, but only the most common ones. In order for the production process to go according to the drawn up plan, it is necessary to entrust the leadership to competent leaders who will be interested in fulfilling their tasks. It is also necessary by all means to avoid conflicts within the team. If you are able to correctly apply the acquired knowledge in practice, your business will bring a stable and high profit. Good luck!