Swimming Upstream

Do you ever despair about the effort it takes to make changes in your organization? To get results? Whether you're an economic development agency trying to attract businesses to your city, or a business owner trying to motivate your staff, do you sometimes get the feeling that there is some greater force that's trying to prevent your success? Are you swimming as hard as you can, but not getting anywhere?

We all work within systems, and our systems are part of larger systems. While our focus is usually on what we ourselves are responsible for on a daily basis, sometimes we need to expand our attention to the larger systems of which we are a part. Two examples...

In Northern Ontario, economic development agencies have struggled to attract and keep major industrial customers that are heavy users of electricity. The energy policy of Ontario sets electricity rates higher than neighbouring Quebec and other jurisdictions, so major industries like Cliffs Natural Resources ferro-chrome refinery are finding it hard to justify locating in Ontario. Even though other technical reasons might make Ontario an ideal location, the larger system of provincial energy policy makes it unattractive because of the electrical costs. So, while particular communities might have excellent economic development initiatives, they're swimming upstream against the province's power rate policies.

Similarly, the owners of an otherwise vibrant 25-person Saskatchewan company have been continually frustrated by employees who won't give that little bit extra to get jobs out on time. Their company, their payroll policies and their management approach operate within the larger system of Saskatchewan's labour standards where any work beyond eight hours per day is overtime, to be paid at time-and-a-half.

Applying this diligently, the company has required all overtime, no matter how small, to be approved in advance. The hassles of getting management micro-approvals for every little extra effort has evolved into a culture of clock watching, with everyone leaving when the official day is done. The managers are trying to foster teamwork and cooperation, but their staff have been swimming upstream against this inflexible administration of overtime, agains inflexible administration of Saskatchewan's labour standards.

When local economic development agencies identify provincial policies that affect their ability to attract companies, they need to work with that larger system to address those issues - in Ontario, the hydro energy policies. In the Saskatchewan example, when the small company's strict application of the eight-hour work day damages their entrepreneurial culture, they need to give some attention to the larger system of Sasktchewan's labour standards. They need to identify alternatives, either informally adding flexibility to the work day, or formally applying for a permit to average hours. They need to work on the larger system that's making it all but impossible for employees to willingly give that little bit extra.

In any case, recognize that all of your work takes place within some larger systems, and those systems can have large effects on your results. If you find yourself swimming as hard as you can and not getting anywhere, look outside your day-to-day operations to the larger system that you're working within. It's easier to make progress if you're not trying to swim against  a strong current.