Why do people prefer to live lives filled with mayhem and dissonance?Do you know anybody that always has something going wrong in their lives either at home or at work. If the kids aren't sick, then there are problems at work. If work is going good, then their marriage is tanking. If the marriage is good then their job sucks and is draining them completely. In the workplace this attitude can be seen in people who allow the chaos from their private life to creep into their work life (or vice versa)
They have resigned themselves to working in a job that does not allow them to plan their work, organize their day, and drive towards success. If the day is organized and the work well defined, they will procrastinate and delay completing the work so that it will become a crisis and they will be driven to get the work done.
I see people like this at work and wonder how they can stay sane. I prefer order and I consistently seek to bring calmness out of chaos... order out of anarchy. In the world of IT solutions delivery it is very easy to allow chaos to creep in. As disciplined project managers and IT practitioners, we have to constantly work to ensure that best practices are followed and chaos is minimized.
There are times in life when chaos is inevitable and we must be prepared to overcome, change and adapt. However, I am convinced that there are those people among us who actually prefer mayhem and chaos. This is based on the simple observation that they engage in activities that promote it, and eschew actions that would reduce it or prevent it entirely. Over the years I have discovered that most people really don't like surprises at work (unless its a big raise or a promotion). If that is the case, why do we sow the seeds of surprise by not taking a proactive approach to managing our daily tasks and organizing our work.
When it comes to my work life and personal life, I do not believe that Chaos Theory should be allowed to dominate my world. There are many who believe that mathematical chaos, as observed in nature, is beautiful. I would tend to agree. We see it and admire it every day in weather patterns etc. However, if you find yourself dealing with a chaotic work environment, I would recommend that you do the following to bring order and sanity.
1. Stop - The first rule of getting yourself out of a hole is to stop digging. If you are in a chaotic environment and things just seem to be overwhelming you, take a breather to regroup and then perform step number two below. This breather could be a few minutes, or a few months. It depends on the context of the situation.
2. Assess the situation - Think about what is working, what is not working, and what you can do to make a difference. Churn doesn't help. Stressing out and getting emotional, while normal reactions, does not help. Get pragmatic and assess what you have to do to eliminate the chaos in your work life.
3. Evaluate your options - There are always options. Sometimes the number are few and none of them are pleasant. However, we always have choices. Evaluate your options and find the ones that will work to reduce the amount chaos in your work life.
4. Take the appropriate actions - If you have candidly assessed your situation, and evaluated your options, the appropriate course of action to help minimize or reduce chaos should be readily apparent. If not, go back to step number 2 and move forward through the steps. Your actions may include ensuring that you prioritize your work and focus on the extremely important items first. Alternatively, you may review your work schedule and maybe working different hours would provide you with more focused time to accomplish important tasks and reduce chaos. The Lean 5S strategy is an excellent model for this step when dealing with challenges on the job. Lean principles can be used to increase flow and reduce chaos in work environments.
5. Assess the results - Now that you have gone through the effort of cleaning out the stuff on your list that is creating your chaos it is time to take a look at the results. Is your life less chaotic? Are you accomplishing more and worrying less. Do you feel more relaxed at work? If the answer to that is no, then go back to step 2 and review the current chaos. It may also be a good idea to have some of your team members also contribute to this assessment.
Final Thoughts
A research study published by Frederick Herzberg in 1959 called "The Motivation to Work" showed that one of the key aspects of employment that leads to worker dissatisfaction are the work conditions. His theory is just as applicable today. A chaotic and disorderly work environment will contribute to your disdain for your job. You can learn more about Herzberg's work here.
Life is short and you have options. There is no reason to spend your life unhappy and trapped in an environment that is not healthy for you. If you find yourself in a chaotic workplace, the steps above can be used to help you to become part of the solution rather than being part of the problem.
Do you have ways to reduce chaos in your life? Do you know anyone at your job that seems completely comfortable with chaos and actually does things to promote it? Let us know how you are dealing or have dealt with those situations.
A research study published by Frederick Herzberg in 1959 called "The Motivation to Work" showed that one of the key aspects of employment that leads to worker dissatisfaction are the work conditions. His theory is just as applicable today. A chaotic and disorderly work environment will contribute to your disdain for your job. You can learn more about Herzberg's work here.
Life is short and you have options. There is no reason to spend your life unhappy and trapped in an environment that is not healthy for you. If you find yourself in a chaotic workplace, the steps above can be used to help you to become part of the solution rather than being part of the problem.
Do you have ways to reduce chaos in your life? Do you know anyone at your job that seems completely comfortable with chaos and actually does things to promote it? Let us know how you are dealing or have dealt with those situations.
It seems that management by crisis is the norm in this country—crisis being made a legitimate means to escalate ill-planning, poor discipline and lack of forecasting—effectively CMMI level 1 in which only by the heroic and last ditch efforts of certain individuals is a crisis solved . The federal government operates in this manner, leaping from crisis to crisis without imposing the simplest of management principles. Family economic management seems to be another example of folks living without savings and without budgets completely unprepared for the inevitable big expense around the corner. Corporate management in many companies seems equally similar, quarter to quarter profit forecasts instead of any sort of long range planning. It all seems to be action by reaction, rather than planning the action and acting the plan
ReplyDeleteI agree Dave. The Fed is an excellent example of an organization that simply "kicks the can" forward rather than addressing the problem. I have seen organizations that minimize the chaos by forcing a top down discipline into IT processes. They spend more but they get a higher quality output. This is the exception rather than the rule and the vast majority of organizations are in chaos mode.
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