It appears that the British method of organising and controlling a substantial company is not by encouragement and reward, but rather by internal warfare and jealousy.

No Director appears to be thinking of the whole picture but rather of how does his department look and if there is anything wrong how can I hide it.

Once I was in charge of a Research and Development Department, and I was asked by my Director to fill in for him at a Service and Repair Department feedback meeting. Under discussion was what appeared to be an increase in breakdown of some of the units in the field. The Service Manager gave his report listing the types of faults that had developed. Then the Managing Director asked if there were any questions? When I said yes I had one, the other members of the committee appeared to be surprised. ( I found out later that it is normal to say nothing accept the report and move on.)

Anyway I was asked what the question was. The Service Manager looked daggers.

“Can anyone tell me whether the increase in faults was under cold or tropical conditions?“

To me it was just a logical question, but the Service Manager had to admit that they didn’t keep that sort of information, to which I expressed surprise.

About an hour after the meeting had finished and we had all gone back to our own departments I received a visit from my Director, apparently he had been accused of stitching up the Service department and sending me to do it. It was thought that I was putting in a bid to take over that department by showing up the Manager. I said that I thought it was just a constructive question. I was praised for my input, but never asked to attended another meeting of that type.

The point I am making is that the first thought was that somebody was being criticised, not let us find out the answer. My Director was pleased because it had shown up another department, there was no attempt to work together to find the answer.
That type of question had never been asked before and the Managing Director made no comment and apparently forgot it.

Everybody seemed to thinking of themselves not of the Company. Needless to say some time later that Company was taken over and re-organised, I had left it by then.

To me it should have been a case of that is an interesting question, let us investigate and monitor the units. That should have been the type of response from the M.D.

So to you Managing Directors or Company Owners what is your approach?

Do you encourage your staff to consider how what they are doing affects the company, or just affects their own department. When they are working out their work schedules do they consider how it affects other departments such as maintaining the even flow of the production of the units that are being produced, or are they considering making life easier for themselves and everybody else doesn’t count.

You as managing director are the person responsible for how the employees regard their duties. It is up to you to encourage company first department second, rather than department first everyone else doesn’t count.