Trying your best doesn't help in bad systems

"𝗔 𝗯𝗮𝗱 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲." Too often, an individual or a team is blamed when something goes wrong.

However, in 85% of cases, the damage lies in 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀, as William Edwards Deming established. You can replace individuals until you’re blue in the face, but it won't help: the system will 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗽 new people. And it disrupts the people themselves.

That means: If your system is damaged, no amount of motivation, rewards, or punishments will help improve the end result. (Wasted money! A bottomless pit!)

But how do you identify these patterns in your organization? Organization coach Philippe Bailleur reveals this in "From Dividing to Healing", a podcast by Marijke Leys.

If the same problems keep popping up 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻'𝘀 𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻, then observe them curiously like an anthropologist.

Listen to 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱:
👂What strikes you?
👂What do you want to protect yourself from?
👂What is shifting within you?

This way, you uncover systemic traumas and provide management with tools to repair the system (structures, habits, processes).

Written by Sarah Van Landschoot

"There's no point in urging people to try harder if the system isn't right," says Philippe Bailleur.

𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀, because this holds the keys
🗝️why prevention campaigns do or don't work,
🗝️why you do or don't find ambassadors,
🗝️why change communication succeeds or fails.
If you're reading this post, the answer probably isn't to try even harder. 😉

The podcast is highly recommended: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLDKWgamxwg

Written by Sarah Van Landschoot