June 5th, 2009

21 ways to flog dead horse projects

Posted by Michael Krigsman @ 9:42 am

Categories: Uncategorized

Tags: Technique, Horse, Productivity, Performance Management, Workforce Management, Training And Certification, Human Resources, Michael Krigsman

After writing my last post, which was on this same topic, I learned about 21 special techniques organizations use to deny their true state of failure.

This is from the Humor Archives blog, but it’s actually not funny at all. In reality, this list is a sad and accurate commentary on denial in its various forms and manifestations:

1. Buying a stronger whip.
2. Changing riders.
3. Say things like, “This is the way we have always ridden this horse.”
4. Appointing a committee to study the horse.
5. Arranging to visit other sites to see how they ride dead horses.
6. Increasing the standards to ride dead horses.
7. Appointing a tiger team to revive the dead horse.
8. Creating a training session to increase our riding ability.
9. Comparing the state of dead horses in today’s environment.
10. Change the requirements declaring that “This horse is not dead.”
11. Hire contractors to ride the dead horse.
12. Harnessing several dead horses together for increased speed.
13. Declaring that “No horse is too dead to beat.”
14. Providing additional funding to increase the horse’s performance.
15. Do a Cost Analysis study to see if contractors can ride it cheaper.
16. Purchase a product to make dead horses run faster.
17. Declare the horse is “better, faster and cheaper” dead.
18. Form a quality circle to find uses for dead horses.
19. Revisit the performance requirements for horses.
20. Say this horse was procured with cost as an independent variable.
21. Promote the dead horse to a supervisory position.

I just can’t believe the insight and accuracy of these observations. Please share your stories of organizational denial and corporate silliness.

[Thanks to Sarah Runge for bringing this list to my attention. Image via iStockphoto.]