Last week I described the high cost of staff sleepwalking at work, or simply “going through the motions” without effort, thought, or initiative. What we need to remember is that people are not inherently lazy. When sleepwalking is common, it’s usually because organizations are rewarding their staff for doing the bare minimum.
Of course, there are employees who prefer to sleepwalk. For various reasons, they don’t believe they have the capacity—or inclination—to be responsible for their actions. But in my experience, most people do know how to initiate and organize their work and life. Or they’re curious to learn how!
The ability to self-organize mimics Nature’s design. Every species and plant in Nature self-organizes its behavior. They align with Nature’s higher purpose to create conditions conducive to the life of future generations. Because self-organization is embedded in life’s design, and because humans are part of life, we inherently know how to do this too.
When organizations lack the presence of active, engaged, initiating, and thinking staff, it usually means leadership is unintentionally suppressing these instinctual behaviors. To counteract this problem and nurture healthier teams, we have to be conscious of ways we create conditions that reinforce or reward sleepwalking.
How organizations reward sleepwalking at work
Most often, it’s unintentional. In my work, I’ve noticed a handful of primary ways that organizations encourage this kind of mindless obedience:
1. Rewarding an activity-driven culture.
Culture is a powerful force that shapes people’s behavior. Not surprisingly, when organizations confuse activity with productivity to be measured, observed, and rewarded, the staff may gauge their value by their level of “busy-ness.” They compare their value to others by the amount of time they put into their work. Eventually, this erodes any understanding they may have of real contributions to organizational outcomes. Strategic priorities are not used as a lens to focus work, and activities become equally important. The team ends up focusing on how many tasks they complete—not how meaningful or impactful those tasks are.
2. Creating too much work with not enough time to do it.
When an organization creates jobs that require more than a 40-hour work week or piles on additional responsibilities on top of a person’s job description …it’s difficult for employees to find space for reflection or to ask deeper questions that clarify and evaluate goals. There are no available “points of pause.”
3. Holding meetings that focus only on tasks and short-term goals.
What we focus on in meetings can significantly shape what happens, and what matters, in our teams and our organization as a whole. When we only talk about tactical work, for example, we risk diminishing deeper strategic thinking. This also impacts the alignment that is needed to thrive and be resilient down the road.
4. Rewarding people who deliver only what the boss wants.
Organizations tend to reward managers who perform without question, regardless of potential pitfalls. Sometimes it’s because managers see the people “under them” as objects to control rather than people to engage. Other times, employees are people pleasers by nature, eager to make the boss happy. Whatever the cause, at this point, sleepwalking kicks in. People on the team will do only what is asked, without contributing their unique value and insights. When an organization “drains the life” of its employees in this way, there is always a long-term cost.
5. Failing to ask the right questions.
When creating a strong, successful strategy, there are questions that need to be answered. What are we trying to accomplish, and why does it matter? Who is important to the effort? What’s the timeline? What is the best approach?
I’ve observed in my practice that managers and leaders who don’t ask all these questions (and more) have more sleepwalkers in their organizations. Few people, if any, are performing at their full potential. Without answers to these core questions, the culture defaults to activity-driven behavior. The goal becomes everything, consuming all the energy, and no one questions why it matters.
Next week, we’ll talk about how to address this problem. But in the meantime, consider a few honest questions. What level of sleepwalking do you see in your organization and its culture? Do you or other leaders unintentionally reward sleepwalking at work?
Kathleen….Interesting. I totally agree with what you have laid out here. Would be interesting to read a follow up from you that approaches the issue from the outside in. How do the points you make here relate to the employee/worker’s understanding of the overall mission and how do current activities fit into that mission….. Judy