# Zombie Organizations By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2024-07-10 If an organization is loaded with doers but not thinkers, a lot gets done without intention other than doing. But at least something is getting done, and there is a chance that one of some things will be worthwhile. Conversely, an organization with many thinkers but no doers does very little but is aware of what might be. This awareness and understanding create an opportunity to do something at the right moment if the thinkers act. Neither organization is optimal for long-term existence. The doers expend too much energy in the wrong directions, and the thinkers spend too much time in the world of what might be. However, both organizations are preferred over organizations that neither do nor think. These zombie organizations exist only to exist. No one does anything, and if they do, it's an illusion of work tied to overly complicated processes and policies that only perpetuate and justify the pointless work. Additionally, these organizations do not possess the capacity to think. They aim to continue existing by rambling about and devouring any living thing that comes too close. If one approaches a zombie organization and says, "Hey, you all look unhappy; what can be done to turn this around?" The response will, at first, appear reasonable and human-like. They will say everything they read on LinkedIn and volunteer endless ideas. One might think they are not yet the walking dead or just under the weather. Perhaps they are just thinkers beaten down from years of famine? This is merely a trick. Asking them deeper questions or implementing their recommendations never reveals intentionality or satisfaction. Zombies are dangerous because they look and act just enough like humans doing things and thinking. But when one puts their guard down, they strike. Most don't make it out alive. They become part of the zombie hoard without even realizing it. When was the last time one's organization did anything genuinely new, as seen in a doer organization? When was the last time one's organization thought deeply about an issue and decided not to do something based on those reflective thoughts as one would see in a thinking organization? I fear one might be a member of the zombie hoard plaguing human existence. While it is too late for the organization, one can always escape and rediscover their humanity. #### Related Items [[Organization]] [[Action]] [[Thinking]] [[Solidarity]] [[Existential]]