managed chaos

For the past many years, i've always been thinking about how companies can manage better especially in the area of ad hoc/last minute tasks - which is the common complaint of the employees on their bosses..

Thru observations, personal managing experience and dealing with bosses, i noticed a great differing views & feelings between bosses and employees on this matter. But that's not shocking.. we all know naturally it differs. But differ by how much and why? and how can we close this gap?

Well, i found that bosses generally believe that most of the time last minute tasks cannot be helped. It's the nature of the work/business. So employees must adapt to it. Period.

In contrast, employees felt that most of the time ad hoc tasks can be better managed and avoided with proper planning. They believe that bosses just didnt make the effort to help reduce such incidents.

To close this gap, bosses need to change their belief. They should first begin by thinking that most tasks need not always be last minute or ad hoc. Business dont require that!

Clearing and clarifying the mental roadblock is essential; if not, the ultimate survival for a happy work environment! This must be followed by putting in effort to plan and create a system or mechanism of tracking upcoming tasks and providing early warning and improving communications flow with employees.

Employees must understand ad hoc or last minute tasks are unavoidable and to take it in their stride as part of the job.. it may sometimes affect your personal plans but it shouldnt affect your working relationship with your boss..

At the end of the day, if both sides never meet, it then signal the end of a good working relationship.. that's when both parties shall depart.. ;-)

Work by default is chaos in most minds of bosses. Can we actually manage chaos? Sounds like oxymoron rite? yes, and i strongly believe we can manage chaos by first acknowledging that work can be chaotic at times or most of the time. Arm with this understanding, we then develop a way of taking in these chaotic situation and transform it into something manageable - likely approach is to chop it into bits size - a divide and conquer strategy. We will also need a mechanism to track and monitor trends and upcoming events and to raise alarm when it hits a certain threshold.. rather than wait till it's too late totally unaware and unprepared.

In conclusion, believe in chaos and believe you can manage it. ;-)