Suffering from organizational ADD?

Today's scarcest resource and the secret to high performance and fulfillment: attention.  ~ Daniel Goleman

Last week while I was talking with a client, I made the comment that I thought they might be suffering from organizational ADD (OADD).  I assumed that I probably wasn't the first person to use that term so I did a quick internet search and sure enough, others have used the same terminology.  I especially liked a Slideshare by Dr. Jim Bohn of Pro/Axios in Minneapolis and I've borrowed from his work in the bullet points to follow.  I would add, however, I believe this can apply equally to an organization of thousands and an organization of one, a for-profit and a not-for-profit.

What are the symptoms of OADD?  Dr. Bohn suggests several outcomes or symptoms of OADD and I added some examples of what I've seen in organizations.

• Incomplete projects.  Projects or initiatives are started, but not seen through to completion.  Maybe other opportunities come along that appear more attractive; or results aren't happening fast enough, so we think, and we throw in the towel.
• Inefficiencies.  Because so much change is being attempted simultaneously, many things are being done poorly and nothing is being done really well because no one knows the real priorities.
• Halted growth.  There may have been historical growth but it's stalled or halted.  This is likely a result of the other outcomes/symptoms like incomplete projects and inefficiencies.
• Employee frustrations.  Employees are putting in extra effort but seeing only minimal rewards because they are more focused on keeping all the balls in the air than on doing quality work.
• Loss of market share.  It would be difficult to gain market share if projects or new initiatives aren't getting completed.  And it might be difficult to even maintain market share if you have frustrated employees who are exerting all of their effort inefficiently on too many projects.

What causes OADD?  

• Uncertainty about organizational direction
• Disconnected organizational initiatives 
• Too much change happening at the same time 

Consequently, what employees see is a lot of uncoordinated activities from multiple directions, confusion about decisions, and everything is priority #1. 

What's the prescription for leaders to resolve OADD?

Leaders must truly understand

• critical organizational priorities
• the capacity of their people
• the true workload of their team

Leaders must be disciplined to

• provide maximum goal clarity
• manage priorities
• maintain focus for their team
• stay the course to get the job done

I could not agree more with Dr. Bohn's analysis and recommendations.  I've seen this very scenario play out at multiple organizations, both large and small.  Maybe your organization doesn't have a severe case of OADD but maybe you do sense your organization creeping toward some of the symptoms.  Whatever your scenario, the prescription to resolve OADD is an excellent checklist for any organization to maintain good organizational behavioral health.