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Habit changing through goal oriented collaboration

3/12/2013

13 Comments

 
If you want to change the way that people work within an organisation, you have to change the way you look at change itself, a good friend once told me.
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Whether you would like people to start tagging their data or collaborate in a social manner, in order to succeed you will need to have a way for people to be able to give up their old habits, or unlearn what they are used to, and replace it with something that is more rewarding to the individual as well as the organisation.

One such idea would be for example to encourage people to have meetings while walking outside. Take a stroll around the office building for a change. The fresh air will refresh your thinking. Or at this time of the year in Finland, since their is still a lot of snow outside, set yourself a goal as a team to build a snowman, or even a Polar Bear made out of snow. It doesn't really matter what you do, as long as working together and achieving   a tangible result is the goal. In short: Have Fun! It's great for increasing your productivity.

The problem in big organisations is that it is all too easy for people to hide, or stay clinging to their old habits.  We spend hours on end in meeting rooms in the comfort of that glowing rectangle called a computer screen trying to figure out how to make this whole digital thing to work better. This prevents change and is very costly in the long run.

Ultimately, any company's ability to adapt to way to do things better, faster will determine it's level of success, and employees that are eager AND allowed to try new things are healthier, happier people that are more productive. 

Social Media acts as a critical enabler in this process in many different ways, as it can give you insight into the heartbeat of your organisation in ways that were never before possible.

Or, as another friend told once wrote in a blogpost on one of my favorite blogs called 'The Illusion of Work', work is not a time nor a place. 

"It's rather the effort required to produce a desired outcome, and for knowledge work, the ideas, the creativity, the innovation and even the problem solving needed can happen at any time and almost anywhere."   - Matthew Hanwell"
Just think for a moment what the creative possibilities are of that kind of approach to work! 
13 Comments
Michael link
3/12/2013 12:41:54 am

I love the idea of going for a walk and holding meetings, it's the reason much business gets done on a golf course!

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Dan Calder link
3/12/2013 12:45:27 am

One of the best pieces of advice i've ever heard was.. "if you want something, that you currently do not have, it REQUIRES actions outside of your comfort zone"

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Harold Gardner link
3/12/2013 12:53:40 am

When I was a programmer, I used to take a walk when I got stuck. I solved a ton of problems wandering down the hall.

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Joan Stewart link
3/12/2013 12:57:05 am

Creative thinking normally occurs when taking a long walk, oxygen is pumping and creative juices start to run. When you return write down notes from whatever has been discussed and add that to a mind-map.

How many times do great ideas come into your mind whilst in bed sleeping, jot them down. When you 'switch off' you allow new thoughts to enter.

Nice thought provoking article, pity more businesses don't consider time spent away from a desk may benefit everyone.

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Kymberly link
3/12/2013 12:58:25 am

Walking or standing meetings make them stay on track a lot better than lounging in chairs! Long walks have always helped me organise my thoughts, so I can get a document outline done faster and with fewer changes later.

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FabriceB
3/12/2013 01:05:28 am

you're right : old habits are like a cancer !

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Brooke link
3/12/2013 01:12:36 am

Thanks for this!

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Sunish Sebastian link
3/12/2013 01:16:25 am

Very interesting article Tim. The ideas you put forward is in fact really interesting. But in reality most of the organizations won't be doing this. This is a good ideology but at the same time... with the turn around time and the over load of works and the hunger for profit... will not let most organizations to make this happen.

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Hansjörg Leichsenring link
3/12/2013 01:22:58 am

From my experience, thFrom my experience, the lead to change must come from the leaders = Top Management. I remember pretty well a Financial Institution, were the board talks a lot of cost cutting and people seem to agree …


… until some weeks later the CEO gets his brand new car. Then people were annoyed.

Cheers from Germany

Hansjörg Leichsenring www.der-bank-blog.de

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Tim Gorree link
3/12/2013 01:26:08 am

But what is the actual cost of not doing this Sunish? Every company needs a long term strategy!

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Tim Gorree link
3/12/2013 01:26:58 am

@Michael You make a slam-dunk point there in the first comment! Good planning is more than half the work!

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Geoff link
3/12/2013 03:24:24 am

I agree with your post. The sad/funny thing is that many people will view creative ways to build a team as "a waste of time" in contrast to what they view as "productive office time." I am a business owner and I was not surprised when managers resisted my requests for more creativity, I was a little surprised when the workers often didn't like it - it made them uncomfortable. I guess I am heartless because I just want them to be more productive.

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Chris Ford link
3/12/2013 05:59:25 am

I worked in the corporate environment for my entire career - now I'm a consultant. My office space is my own, so it does make it a lot easier to have fun while I work.

When I worked in an office building, I'd take my team out of the office as much as possible. We'd have team meetings at coffee shops, at a park, and even occasionally at a mall on a shopping spree.

We were more productive, creative, and fulfilled as a team. To this day, I encourage out-of-office meetings, if anything just to get out of that space for a short time. It does wonders and you really do come back to the office environment feeling invigorated.

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