# The Work and How It's Done By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2024-02-02 Within an organization, what is the most pressing and critical issue? If the explicit goal of the organization is to execute some mission, many might believe that sustainability is the most vital issue. Sustainability can mean many things, but for simplicity, let's say it is the ability to continue operating to achieve some mission. For most organizations, this means ensuring they have enough income to offset costs. Practically, this indeed is critical. Yet, it misses a key component of organizing: how individuals work together. So often, organizations become so consumed by doing the work that they forego thinking about how they do it. How the work is done is often tossed aside for managers and Human Resources to figure out as a third-tier priority. Sure, nearly every organization will pay lip service to culture and values. Only some take the time to think through the complex dynamics of how organizations do the work as a collective of individuals. Most will copy and paste what their competitors or neighbors do. But are these good ways of operating? What about the details? More importantly, when does how the work is done interfere with the work to the point that the organization becomes unsustainable? More often than not, this is the downfall of organizations. It's not the work itself, but how they do it, that causes multidimensional bankruptcy. For example, let's say some leaders of an organization read that low employee turnover is an indication of an excellent culture. This seems reasonable on the surface, so they boldly state that they desire zero voluntary turnover and move on to tackle some new venture. The organization takes this and does everything it can to make this a reality. This includes paying people more so they stay, providing over-the-top benefits, promoting people whenever they ask, and creating unnecessary positions to satisfy an employee's desire to grow. In all likelihood, this "how we work" policy will minimize voluntary turnover, but at the cost of the work itself. In such an organization, it is easy to see how top-heavy and expensive everything becomes until one is so inefficient and ineffective that the organization collapses under its weight. We tend to glorify the work while never seriously questioning how we do it. If we did, we might be surprised by the outcome. Rarely are innovative companies innovative in their work. If one looks closely, one will find that the true innovation lies in how they work. #### Related Items [[Work]] [[Culture]] [[Organization]] [[Management]] [[Human Resources]] [[Sustainable]] [[Economics]] [[Thinking]]