* Time management, organization, GTD

The business world is not known for its application of common sense. Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert, has a management model based on the famous common sense, for the miracles of his employees without deploying extraordinary means.

It is no secret that the lack of common sense is the source of many problems in the world. And this is particularly true in the corporate world. Loss of time in endless meetings, layoffs when the company makes profits, spending huge resources to develop mission statements muddy immediately stored in dusty boxes, or restructure, reorganize or anything and réengineerer what.

The Dilbert Principle

In the world of work, the contradictions are innumerable. To improve employee productivity, they stick a quality control every two days, and it organizes meetings of four hours to discover why the troops morale wins.

If someone has evidence of this fact, it is Scott Adams, the brilliant creator of Dilbert, a comic denouncing so highly cynical, caustic and satirical life of an average office worker in a large multinational . If you do not know, I highly recommend reading these comics, you’ll find in any self-respecting library.

Scott Adams has written a book, The Dilbert Principle, in which he analyzes the sauce to the business world.

And most interesting is that Scott Adams does not just criticize. In the last chapter of his book, he describes the model of the perfect company according to him A6HD for Out In 6 Hours!
The perfect company

Well, what are the main characteristics of this famous company? For Scott (Yes, I called Scott simply because it’s shorter) is a company that knows the difference between what is essential and what is not. And what is essential in a business? Also according to Scott, two things: good products [1], and efficient employees.

At first glance this observation seems obvious disarming. It is particularly dismaying to note that it is completely overshadowed by some managers and executives who invest considerable resources to negligible results in the short term, and sometimes even penalizing the company for long term.

For Scott, any task that improves the product or the effectiveness of employees is a good thing. Any other work is futile and will lead to long-term loss of profits.

Examples of such activities:

* Develop new procedures
* Gather the leaders to write a new enterprise policy
* The shemes suggestions
* Revamping the system for paying employees
* ISO-9000
* Organize teams qualities
* Writing definitions of mission statements and visions

For Scott, even if each activity individually is justified by the best arguments in the world, ultimately, it rarely improves efficiency. And they are mostly useless unless the products are good and efficient employees.

Set up a suggestion system is not used much when employees are motivated, they will offer themselves for improvements. And budgeting is much easier when you have a good product that can make profits.

The wise manager will therefore put the accessory side to focus on the essentials: the employees and products.
A healthy company employees based on efficient

The employee is the foundation of the company. Employees motivated and creative are invaluable, and their productivity is immense. The essence of the manager’s task is to keep intact the good mood of employees.

The theory of Scott Adams is largely based on the following assumptions:

* People are willing by nature and happy by default.
* Nobody likes to work, and there is a maximum level of happiness that can be drawn from his job.

Work is something inherently unpleasant compared to other options, and that is why we must pay.
Scott Adams

Of course, there are people who enjoy their jobs. It is even an important condition of happiness. But think seriously, if work was not necessary to live, how would retain their jobs?

Therefore, the company can not do much to improve the well being of its employees. However, it can do many things to destroy. The mission manager is essentially to provide employees with goals, resources to get there, and depart from the path.

The first step for Scott Adams, is to ensure that everyone can leave the dot at 18h [2]. It is a principle of such importance that it even gave its name to the company: A6HD.

If it is assumed that nobody likes to work, allowing employees to go home early enough to have a personal life and fulfilling family is still the best way to ensure their satisfaction.
Review the timetable
Time Spiral
Creative Commons License photo credit: Gadler

Most managers and workers imagine they are entering a world apart, a bit out of time, they pass the door of the business. They believe that life should not affect the personal life and vice versa. It is a dangerous thought the one hand, and false anyway.

Life is one indivisible whole, and excessive compartmentalization that can generate discomfort, whose first symptoms are the famous “Bah! I feel like I sacrificed my life for my family to work “and” With this child, I will have to leave my job. ”

Leaders would do well to remember that their employees have a family life. They work to live, and not vice versa. And it is dangerously utopian to think that an employee is a kind of machine lobotomized invested 100% for his business between 9am and 18h. Everyone cares for and evidence to the contrary, it is not possible to remove them as they removed his cloak, let them hang at the entrance of the office.

You should also know that is productive for a few hours a day (and even for morale). Those who imagine that improve productivity by increasing the working hours are nothing more than dreamers lack of obvious common sense.

Instead, compress productive activities so that they take the least time possible increases their interest and make the employee more productive. Imagine an employee who knows he did much left to do to achieve its objectives for the day, and must wait another 4 hours before leaving. Do you really believe he will shoot more work on his own initiative?

Some needy will do perhaps, but most (including me) will not flaunting to “hold” until the keel. By the way, they will see their motivation and interest melt like snow in sunshine, and benefit to surf sites Mallrats, or go talk to their colleagues, a snowballing devastating to productivity.

Now imagine that same employee will know that from when he reaches his goal, even though it is only 16:30. It’s a safe bet it will the best will in the world to destroy the work as quickly as possible.

He must therefore cease to make a FIXET on the clock, under the pretext that employees are paid on time. A little flexibility will not hurt, and instead will be beneficial for everyone.
Remove barriers and provide resources

It’s amazing how motivated people are productive, that is, I believe, benefit the company. A manager provided a modicum of common sense knows that it is therefore promordial maintain a good working atmosphere child and preserve the good mood of employees.

To do so, his task is essentially to rid employees of their barriers to work and to provide them RESOURCE necessary to achieve their goals.

If you are a manager, here are some examples of things to consider:

* Ease schedules: Some people have constraints. The clearest example is that of the mother who must drive or take her children to school. Instead of moaning and reprimanded the employee who always arrives 20 minutes late, it will be much more productive to agree with him an arrangement to ease his schedule. You then reduce one source of stress, and it’s a safe bet that its recognition will improve their loyalty and motivation.
* Eliminate the dirty bastards! : In the enterprise, nothing faster leaden atmosphere that dirty bastard who thinks that diplomacy is a country of ex-USSR. Nothing more hinders the productivity of good employees a dirty bastard who built the bad liver and bad will on the rank of lifestyle. Escape at all costs kind of person!

Sometimes, the dirty bastards have skills vital for the company. They become ever-present, and continue to hinder the work of others and spoil the atmosphere with impunity. As a manager, do not miss it!

Even if the skills are interesting con dirty, discard you as soon as possible. If you make the mistake of keeping it, as you bite your fingers, sooner or later.

The best way to transfer the dirty cunts, it still does not hire them. Instead of focusing on skills, pay special attention to knowledge-being, and spread systematically impulsive, those who do not accept criticism, do not handle their emotions, or solve their problems by peaceful means .
* Drop ballast Assessment: There is an interesting psychological phenomenon that often people behave the way they are treated. That is, if you talk to your teenagers as babies, you have little chance of seeing them become responsible.

Similarly, if you spend your time watching your employee to verify that the work is done, if you do not treat them as people of faith but as potential crooks, they respond by becoming less trustworthy. They are less involved, less loyal, and take every opportunity to screw around actively.

But if you lighten the assessment procedures, if you decide to trust them, you agree to behave responsibly and to work seriously.
* Reducing procedures: Everybody does not work the same way. Procedures are too strict and artificial about anything and everything certainly facilitate the management, but hinder productivity. An employee who filled the paperwork does not work. Reduce the minimum procedures, while leaving some room for informal, to enable the employee to address the only useful task for you: work.
* Allow the choice of tools: If an employee does his work properly with its own computer, its own techniques, its methods, its own tools, why impose your images?

You will only slow it down by imposing an apprenticeship which would have gone well, and you will trigger a psychological phenomenon called resistance to change. While this has no negative influence on his work, let free to use whatever means it wants to achieve its objectives
* Skills, Knowledge and Education: A job where you learn nothing is terribly demotivating. Each employee should learn one thing every day, and facilitating access to new skills will benefit everyone (including you).

On the one hand, everyone will be motivated by a more rewarding job, and secondly, this opening will encourage creativity.

As a manager, you should support the training demands of your employees, even if they are a bit “off topic”. You can also encourage the sharing of knowledge among your employees (Scott offers even include “skills transfer” in all job titles), and allow free service for newspapers and magazines.
* Mow the meetings: The interminable meetings are often cited as the major loss of time in the company. Do not arrange a meeting if it is not necessary, there Invite someone if not indispensable, and set a clear agenda and precise, with Slots reserved for each fixed point.

Feel free to interrupt politely but firmly that someone was chatting too long without coming to the point. Remember that deadlines are fixed and can not be rejected. Remember the reward for everyone: A5HD:)
* The coffee breaks, clothing, and other trivia: Do not be too strict about the details. Drop a little weight, and let everyone dress as he wants, as long as it does not interfere with her work or that of others.

Leave coffee self-service instead of trying to make a profit even on breaks for employees. Besides, remember that breaks are essential. I repeat: stop making a FIXET schedule. An employee with a clear objective, a clear Maturity, and resources available to work seriously if you trust it and do not stand behind him to spy on all his doings.

I hope you understand that in matters of management and business management, common sense is an essential skill. Neglecting its importance could have devastating consequences for morale and employee productivity, and long-term success of the company. So if you are a manager, you know what you have to do: read Dilbert

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