from the heart of the team

Summer is in full bloom and bursts of colour are seen every-where. Patches of purple-pink bougainvillea are emerging and the air is thick with the promise of a highveld thunderstorm. Somewhere a Piet-my-vrou (Red-chested Cuckoo) is calling. It all appears to be the same as the previous season, except for the fact that nature draped everything in a lush green coat, symbolic of new life and new beginnings.

Similar to the beginning of a new season, TBI is also blossoming into a colourful display. We are busy with a number of exciting changes, additions and improvements – all of which we believe will offer you a better experience. This newsletter is such a project, though also creatively adorned with a fresh look, updated information and a more interactive approach.

You will also be introduced to our ‘team’ of companies, their services and products and how you can benefit from them.

As with many great works, the insighter is also a work in progress, so enjoy this edition. In the spirit of Ken Blanchard’s (an American businessman) comment, “Feedback is the breakfast of champions,” send me your comments and suggestions if you a great idea on how we can improve.

Green Greetings
Louise

conversations with chris

The big “T’s” and small “t’s”
of organisational design
Most organisations seem to have it all in place, but upon closer inspection one realises that frustration and bureaucracy is the order of the day. This implies that our organisations are suffering from “non-value-adding-work”.

One gets the impression that the organisation doesn’t “click”. Like opening a safe, the organisation is searching; trying to find the right combination by introducing training programmes, motivational speakers, rewards and incentive initiatives, even restructuring; to no avail.

Shift to “Click”
What I would like to share with you doesn’t require monumental change in organisational structure, but requires a different way in how we think about the dynamics of our organisation. Lets refer to this as a “shift” in thinking to create a “click”. This simple shift has endless ramifications for organisational effectiveness and for the lives of the people working in the organisation.

No, I’m sorry, it is not going to be easy. In fact for you to be successful in changing the way the organisation thinks implies tension. However, tension is a sign of life, there exists a fine line between anxiety (fear) and excitement. Tension suggests that people care and have taken ownership, this will ignite dialogue; avoiding this will cause the organisation to suffer.

“Big T” and “Small t” is an acronym for Task, which directly relates to the concept “Department”.

• A task or department is a unit of work, a business activity performed by a group or team
• When the net effect of the department impacts directly on the end product I refer to it as having a “Big T”
• When the net effect of the department impacts directly on other departments, thus indirectly on the end product, I refer to it as having a “Small t”.

The behavioural dynamics required to be effective in a “Big T” is completely different from behaviour required in a “Small t”. One can say that “Small t’s” are your typical “Service Departments”, but it is more than that…

Email Louise for the full article