Post #3528736

2026-04-15 14:50 UTC

Organisational Dysfunction of the Day Individualism Context: Often, there is a large disproportion in how much people are celebrated for their achievements and when blame is placed for accountability when something goes wrong. This feels natural in most parts of the world, as we want to take care of the people and make them feel as good as possible so that they'll feel well and stick around. Being human, as we say. Even toward the people who clearly take on the accountability, and are even paid good money to do so, often leading to few or no consequences. We value the individual when celebrations are due, when heroes are praised, but hide them when there is not. Typically, hero cultures are also a power play, as the ones praised become stretch goals for the rest, showing what lengths they have to go to feel respected and truly valued. OST explains: This focus on the individual is almost anathema in OST, not because the individual is not valued, but it realises that the group is the basic unit of life, be it your family, your friends or your colleagues. It's founded on the belief that people have both the need for autonomy and homonomy; be able to self-govern and fit in with the group. Actually, valuing individuality as an acontextual thing hides a vital paradox, as it inevitably isolates people as the problem because there is nothing else to blame. It even goes beyond blaming the victim; it creates them. By instead focusing on the group, and having it take responsibility and accountability, it can take both the praise AND the blame. The individual is protected in the group, and it can jointly grow and learn from successes and failures. As it takes them to their shared goals. #OpenSystemsTheory #SocioTechnical #OrgDesign #agile

Replies (1)

@trondhjort@hachyderm.io 2026-04-16 13:01

Organisational Dysfunction of the Day Quiet quitting Context: During the COVID-19 pandemic, many things were exacerbated in the population, including how people feel about work. A major trend in America was referred to as the Great Resignation, in which many cited the quality of work as a reason for leaving. Another trend that surfaced about the same time was Quiet Quitting, where employees who are fulfilling their job requirements, but not taking initiative, working overtime or volunteering for extra projects or responsibilities. In short, people are not engaged at work, something the Gallup's State of the Global Workplace report confirms, saying that only 20% of are engaged and 16% are actively disengaged. So not only are sick leaves and absenteeism a problem; when people are at work, just a small minority are actually enjoying it. OST explains: The reason for these dreadful numbers drops right out of OST and all the research it builds on since the 1950s. Given that the extrinsic motivators for work are satisfactory, such as security, work hours, and pay, the defining reasons for people enjoying work are how well their intrinsic motivators are being fulfilled. A minimal set of six psychological job requirements is the basis and they measure how well a job design works, be it the processes, the technology, the organisation, or the colleagues. If people score well on things like ownership, learning on the job, variety, support and respect, meaningfulness, and career path, they will not only enjoy work, be engaged and produce better results; they will also get a better quality of life. #OpenSystemsTheory #SocioTechnical #OrgDesign #agile

Open ##3528735