BUSINESS AND LIFE: Viruses that prevent organisational change – Part IV

I apologise for not posting an article last week and for the late submission of this week’s article.

Yesterday morning (July 20), the curtains came down on the 6th VF Inc.’s Youth Series and the feedback from the participants so far is positive.  We give thanks to God, the parents, guardians and sponsors, both corporate and individuals.  We congratulate all the recipients of the Golden Drum Awards especially, Mr. Ian Jackson, one of our facilitators at this year’s Youth Series and Mr. Lennox Alexander from Mahaut.  We also congratulate King Dice, Fitzroy Williams, Freddy Nicholas and the team on the launch of the album Heritage.  I missed the launch but from all reports, it was a great success.

This week we conclude our focus on viruses, and as promised we examine the Dominican viruses submitted and compare them with those of Ulrich et al.

The Dominican viruses submitted are:

1.    You walk in and clerks “chupes” her teeth and keeps you waiting while she updates her status on Facebook – This is clearly a lack of professionalism and appreciation of the customer.  This is akin to Customer Antipathy by Ulrich et al.  This may also be a sign of a disgruntled, disengaged employee who fails to realise her role and the customers’ role in the success of the company.  This is akin to Ulrich et al “Misalignment, Disjointed Action.”
2.    Pure Rudeness – Discourtesy is another sign of unprofessional behavior and disregard to the customer.  Discourteous employees often believe that they are doing the customer a favour.  Sometimes they perpetuate this behavior, as they are not held to account by supervisors or managers.  This is akin to Ulrich et al, “Turfism: My Business vs. Our Business and Misalignment, Disjointed Action”.
3.    Office Gossip loud enough that customers can hear – This is linked to one and two above.
4.    Odor Smell of the Customer Service Representative – This is an issue that many persons are afraid to tackle head-on for fear of offending the individual.  This however is part of the bigger picture of deportment.  Appearance matters and supervisors need to be able to handle these sensitive issues tactfully with employees.
5.    Talking on the Phone while assisting a customer –This is unprofessional behavior and reflects a lack of standards established by the company.  A company’s culture plays a key role in the perpetuation of this poor habit.
6.    Moving slower than a fast moving turtle – There is often no desire to serve and reflects a lack of alignment between the individual and the job or company.  There is then little passion and enthusiasm in getting the work done.  This is akin to Ulrich et al “Misalignment, Disjointed Action” “Skills or Aptitude.”
7.    Just Plain Ignorance of the Job – This is lack of competence, one of the prerequisites to be considered a professional and for productivity.  This is also akin to “Misalignment, Disjointed Action” and “Skills or Aptitude.”
8.    Display of Laziness Attitude – This is similar to (6) above and may reflect a demotivated staff who does not understand the strategy of the organisation and his or her role in achieving it.  It may also reflect a staff who from experience has become jaded and cynical and is just bidding time to retirement or resignation.  This is also akin to Ulrich et al “Misalignment, Disjointed Action”.
9.    Dominica Time – This is a time management issue that is a reflection of many factor including no or limited sense of urgency, trying to do too much in too little time, misunderstanding of what is required and lack of direction or purpose.  This is akin to several of Ulrich et al viruses, including “Activity Mania, Crisis Jumping, All Things to All People, Misalignment, Disjointed Action, Process Mania, Perfectionism: Right Way or No Way, Over Measure and Fire Hydrant.”

Many of the Dominican’ viruses identified relates to “Misalignment, Disjointed Action”.   This is telling.  It indicates that companies/managers do not spend enough time ensuring that they recruit the right staff, with the right fit and sharing the goals and objectives of the organisation.  There is also an indication of lack of proper accountability.

Next week, we look at the Film Industry in Dominica.

Until We Meet Again, May God Continue to Keep Us in the Palm of His Hands.

Valda Frederica Henry, VF Inc.’s CEO and Principal Trainer is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Certified Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR), Certified Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Practitioner, holds a PhD in Industrial Relations & Business, a Masters in Business Administration and a BSc Management Studies. 

VF Inc. is a Human Resource & Finance Consultancy firm with a Training and Recruitment arm, and the producer and host of a live TV program “The Cutting Edge of Business”.