Wink Wink, Nudge Nudge, Say No More
Here’s a conversation our operational leaders should be having if they are pursuing operational excellence:
“How is your organization’s decision-making?” wink, wink
“Good enough, I suppose.”
“What’s your decision performance track record?” nudge, nudge
“Track record? What do you mean?”
Say no more.
Fans of Monty Python are no doubt familiar with the famous Nudge Nudge sketch, one of my personal favorites. It’s only occurred to me recently how similar that sketch is to our decision-making in many asset-intensive organizations.
Through most of this skit, it is clear to the viewer the two participants are not exactly on the same page. While the two are engaged, there is a certain ambiguity in their conversation. Communication is hard and this scene capitalizes on the humor found in the resulting uncertainty and confusion.
A similar phenomenon happens within operational management too but is far less funny. Decisions, and how they are made, are often opaque and unclear and so are the resultant outcomes.
There’s a lot of handwaving when it comes to our decisions and decision-making. Leaders pride themselves on their decisiveness, yet making quick decisions is not often the objective…
