In just two weeks the U.S. will have a new President. Each time this occurs, the government has the opportunity to do what i have done many times in a business turnaround. Fire everyone. Hire all anew. The cleansing action is powerful. When the staffing decisions going forward are made with prime consideration given to merit and capability (not always the case and quite clearly not the case in the last change) the resurgence and capability growth can be extremely powerful.
This same powerful tool can work for you when your business is in trouble. I've fired everyone in in such circumstances--when the organization needed a new direction--however in these cases virtually and temporarily and privately. All organizations need an occasional re-shuffle; over time they get tired. Years of band aids and patches mask bureaucracy, non-performing people, bloated departments, and too many layers. Organizational lethargy results from everyone doing the same thing over and over. Fresh thinking is stifled. This needs a fix. Create a war room (a room with white board or blank walls); Gather several of your best managers; Dedicate the time it takes to fully go through the process. Put the current organization chart on one wall including all the individuals. Then announce that everyone is fired and all departments are dismantled. Rebuild the organization chart on the blank walls, thinking through the most critical issues that need to be addressed as your guide. Minimize the layers (difficulties from a large number of direct reports - span of control - is over-rated; difficulties of communicating through layers is under-rated). “Rehire” only those individuals that each of the managers is willing to take on (nobody is inherited; these are fresh “rehire” decisions). Re-create a brand new, re-vitalized, leaner, more effective organization. You’ve created a positive crisis atmosphere.
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