There's Got to Be a Better Way: How to Deliver Results and Get Rid of the Stuff That Gets in the Way of Real Work

by Nelson P. Repenning

When managers use dynamic work design, they often feel, for the first time, that they are managing their organization rather than that their organization is managing them. The workday is transformed. The tasks of goal setting, planning, and budgeting no longer involve lengthy annual or quarterly negotiations, the results of which must then be worked around. Instead, planning and goal setting become part of an ongoing process of identifying problems and sensing new opportunities. Dysfunctional hierarchical reporting relationships and painful review meetings take a back seat to providing guidance, delivering critical resources, and communicating about what is really happening. The question “Who is responsible?” is replaced by “How can we help?” Instead of pushing long lists of tasks that are all ranked “high priority,” the tough decisions are made up front.