Re: Formal vs. informal organizations

[David Farbey <dfarbey -at- BAAN -dot- NL>]

I have to agree with Steve. From my experience the problems of too little
structure are far more frustrating than those caused by too much structure.

There's a trite piece of office humor about a job given to four characters
named Somebody, Anybody, Everybody, and Nobody, which actually has a point.
If work and responsibilities are not properly allocated and demarcated, some
work is done twice, other work is ignored, and everyone is unhappy.

Of course successful organizations benefit from the informal networks of
contacts built up by the people in it, but there has to be some framework.
Otherwise, who's going to pay the bills?

David Farbey
dfarbey -at- baan -dot- nl

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Steven Jong [SMTP:SteveFJong -at- AOL -dot- COM]
> Sent: Monday, March 08, 1999 3:38 PM
> To:   TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
> Subject:      Re: Formal vs. informal organizations
>
>         In response to Andrew's posting, I started to lay out the opposite
> extreme,
> but it's too embarrassing to list the problems I've encountered in
> workgroups
> and companies that lack organization and structure.
>
>         Rather than stake out a contrary view and work back toward the
> middle, let me
> just point out that without some level of organization, you can run into
> trouble with as few as two people, if one disagrees with the other on how
> to
> proceed. Without process, every problem, even the one that crops up every
> release, is a crisis. Without standards, you end up with nonstandard
> products.
> Without management support, you can run into trouble over something as
> simple
> as two assignments for two clients if both of them demand you make them
> your
> top priority. Without hierarchy, an "entrepreneur" can steal your
> resources
> for his projects. And without standards, good work is not repeatable.
>
>         Having seen each and every one of these situations in my career, I
> would say
> that I wouldn't work in a place without some structure.
>
>           -- Steve
>
> =========|=========|=========|=========|=========|=========|=====
> Steven Jong, Documentation Team Manager ("Typo?  What tpyo?")
> Lightbridge, Inc., 67 South Bedford St., Burlington, MA 01803 USA
> mailto:jong -at- lightbridge -dot- com -dot- nospam          781.359.4902 [voice]
> Home Sweet Homepage: http://members.aol.com/SteveFJong
>
>


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