UNIVERSAL ADVICE FOR Cognitive load can be caused by work that does, or does not

UNIVERSAL ADVICE FOR
Cognitive load can be caused by work that does, or does not identify opportunities for error reduction or better results. That’s the simple criteria. If it’s work it’s a waste of IQ points. If it’s problem solving it’s a use of IQ points. Use the Important vs Urgent grid, and insure people are aware of what problems they are working responsible for in that grid.

Usually (a) make sure the simple strategic message of the organization is known (see “good to great”) (b) how every part of the organization can implement it (individual and group mission statements), (c) that people understand the meaning of competency versus competitive value (don’t let lazy false positives and irresponsibility cause incremental decay) and give them the freedom to experiment even if it means making mistakes, as well as the responsibility for correcting them.

If at all possible organize your company around programs and projects and NOT departments. This creates consistent measurements and suppresses the expansion of non-work, free riding and rent seeking. Most middle management is either dead weight or you have weak processes.

If at all possible minimize the middle management to zero by using teams of competency sharing the work part time instead of full time individuals.

What you are trying to do is build responsibility in peole, given the quality of people you can hire for any position, where our differences consist largely of ability to bear responsibility for different classes of problems – if at all. (Some aren’t.)

Most organizations that I have consulted, acquired, or built, require all four of those criteria established, and at least processes, and if possible software that supports doing so.

However, that which is easiest to measure is often the least meaningful to measure. Don’t be fooled by managing the bottom efficiently when the middle and top are the most likely time and IQ ‘leakage’.

Cheers
Curt Doolittle

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