Benefiting at work from Brain Based Insights

Having worked in some pretty serious bureacracies myself I have found that you can overcome some of the challenges by looking at the bureacracy as a constraint to be managed, just like you would deal with limited funds or a short timeline for a project.

That way you get to stretch your mind rather than atrophy it.

After all, many of us HAVE to work in these large bureacratic organisations. (Well, not HAVE to, but find it the most appropriate course of action for now.)

(Love your insights by the way.)

Craig, thanks for stopping by. What intrigues me most about your keen insights here is that the brain really does move forward on what we expect and by how we frame a thing like bureaucracy.

Yet, I also take hope in leaders like you who articulate well -- and who will be part of a new tide that changes the tired structures that were created for another era.

In fact from your site at http://www.betterprojects.net I sense you do just that! Now in that possibility I find hope and the marks of a new start for many:-).

Thanks for helping us to think beyond the ridges of bureaucracy:-) Craig.

One of the great things I love about the organization I work for (a very large engineering firm) is that they are very proactive in their efforts to keep from doing things "just because".

Admittedly, it's hard to change a course of action already chosen, but our leadership appears to really try to keep things from becoming hidebound and stale. Our clients really seem to respond to that, too - bureaucracies, all.

Hey, thanks for joining us this month, Ellen!

Cheers!

An interesting story on the other side, Bob - thanks! I'd love to hear a bit more about the refreshing results you infer here in your words ..." they are very proactive in their efforts to keep from doing things "just because"."

Likely we could all learn from the outcomes of a large group that sports the opposite of the bureaucratic traits I laid out here. You have stirred our curiosity now:-) Thoughts?

Well... one thing comes to mind (which is probably that grinding noise you hear in the background)...

As an engineering firm (most are not known for being the most innovative - a lot of responsibility rides on what they do), we depend on "hard", established and provable techniques for the way we do business. That's reflected in every aspect of our organization, from sales & marketing to the engineering side (and even the consulting side, where I am.)

But at the same time, we have a process in place that rewards people for innovative thinking on just about anything. In fact, it's actually built into our processes.

Our clients like it because it results in bottom-line improvement PLUS better results. And our company likes it because it improves our ability to make sales based on that kind of performance. Most of all WE like it because it lets us know we're valuable - there are even physical rewards in place.

Everybody wins!

Now that is an example that you see only in the most successful firms, Bob, and it reminds me of the mutual win possibility when we problem solve - with the brain in mind. Thanks for the inspiration to do just that!

Bureaucracy stifles creativty, and yet it seems most organized human structures drift toward bureaucracy. Why is that?

Hi Brad, this question is far too deep and too wide for a response here. It spikes my own curiosity and I plan to blog on it as a way to reflect deeper. Thanks for the challenge! Wow -- what a question!

Wow wllen - even reading your list I felt my brain shut down! We all have different styles of course and I hate to have my creativity stifled. I worked with someone who had to tick each box before moving onto the next one. I could appreciate her position but it was very hard for me to cope with. There will be all sorts of excuses (reasons?) for bureaucracy but you have given clear evidence of why those should be blown out of the water.
Thanks for making me think.
Jackie

Thanks Jackie, for your thoughtful comments. Reading your words made me wonder what might be the alternative to bureaucracies that do not work as they stifle curiosity and creativity. Ideas?