Is the organization you work for or lead healthy? How do you know? Why does this matter?
When organizations are healthy, they likely perform well and meet the mission of the overall work they do.
Think about the organizations you belong to. Are those organizations healthy? Do you play a healthy, positive role in those organizations?
As I think about this today, I want to think about the following categories.
Organizational history
What has happened in these organizations over time? What actions and events have been positive and what actions and events have not been positive? How can we reverse the actions and events that were not positive--what can we do instead with regard to our individual roles and our collaborative efforts. As I thought about this today, I recognized one way that I can make personal change to better support the organizations I belong to. The change is subtle, but I learned over time that to change this way will effect better collaboration which is what I desire.
Are the systems working?
Every organization relies on a number of systems to work well. Systems need to be reviewed regularly to determine whether those systems are working effectively or if those systems are no longer up-to-date, useful, or helpful. Recently as I considered a system I put in place long ago in my family for good reason, and I realized today that in many ways the system is no longer helpful. It's time for change.
What prejudices exist?
In many organizations, prejudices related to age, role, gender, culture, personality, or perspective exist. We have to check ourselves and our organizations continually to root out any prejudices that are confounding the good work possible.
What is the organization's mission
Organization's missions have to be updated regularly too. Sometimes it's time to make change with regard to an organization's overall mission.
Healthy organizations are marked by healthy, happy, collaborative people. When people are unhappy, unhealthy, and not working together, you know you have a problem and it's time for a reboot.