Dr. Shahid Amin Trali
Most of the systems implemented today are not only ineffective but achieve very less than its potential. Organizational systems today not only make its people unhappy but add to their stress levels. Infact there are many more negative outcomes for the organisations due to bad systems.
A system is an organized collection of subsystems needed to attain a specific objective. The systems might vary from simple to complex and each system has its own processes, methods, inputs and outcomes. Usually a system is made up of smaller subsystems. If one smaller sub system fails, the entire system may fail to produce the results.A good example for a system is a human body and even a tiny organ in human body can make things great as well as worse. Organisations are not an exception and everything and everyone matters with their performances towards the betterment of organization and its stakeholders.
Sound organizational system is needed to achieve the objectives in an organisation. Leaders can derive immense benefits and success for having good systems in place within the organisations. It’s only a proper system that will allow leaders to organise, document and manage the team and the responsibilities associated with their roles. If there are no proper systems in place, then it is very challenging to manage an organisation effectively. It’s a fact that systemising the entire organisation is not an easy quick process but it is very much achievable. By systemising the organisation, leaders will gain a comprehensive insight of how every aspect of organisation works. It will enable them to manage the teams more effectively, and by implementing effective systems, organisations will continue to evolve and grow.
A system can be an open system that may interact with its own environment and it also receives inputs and delivers the outputs. An open system can easily adapt to the demand of the users. On the other side a closed system isolates from its own environment. Since organisations have to face more competition today, it’s not easy for closed systems to survive in the competitive environment. A system can be a good system as well as a poor system. A poor system makes life difficult for the performers. A poor system can be easily made effective with the right approach and good intentions. It’s not only owners and leaders but in a poor system everyone needs to contribute and sense their responsibilities to make the system better.
There are also cases ofcorrupt and greedy systems in the organisations. “A bad system will beat a good person every time” (W. Edwards Deming). Decent people will also be eaten up by such a corrupt and greedy system. The real challenge is to understand whether the greedy system is accidental or it is something that will continue for a large period of time. The choice is ours either to accept or be mute spectators in a bad system and it will easily kill our inner spirit. Corrupt systems will defeat us every time. But the best option is develop courage and raise our concern against the wrong doings; we must not compromise with our inner values. The organisation itself is also mostly going to suffer because of the greedy practices in it. We should not hesitate to challenge greedy and corrupt systems. There is also a serious concern as sometimes we say that our patience is being tested and soon we will certainly get out of the crisis. We remain silent but till then evil has a tendency to increase in its intensity and bad outcomes for us. We are responsible to make this evil stronger. We are not supposed to become ignorant but we are supposed to at least speak the truth. If it’s wrong then it’s wrong and we can’t expect greedy systems to do any favour for anyone. When things are expected to go beyond the control it’s better to quit greedy and corrupt systems.
Real leaders and owners need to be deep thinkers and observers in today’s organisations. They must be caring towards each and every stakeholder and strive hard towards a safe and successful system. A good system must be able to solve the genuine problems of its stakeholders. It’s important for good systems to believe in honesty, empathy and transparency. Leaders must ensure sustainability and high quality of systems. A good system must enhance the lives of the employees. Infact organisations should appreciate the employees and must explore every opportunity to develop them. Good systems must be adaptable as circumstances change quickly and therefore systems need to change to keep up.Creating good systems will help organisations to stay streamlined, efficient and effective.
(The author is an Associate Professor in the School of Management, ITM University Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh).
