FRICTION in Human Interactions
Tom Stratton
Executive and Team Coach | Human Interaction Specialist | Professional Facilitator and Trainer
In most situations, “friction” is unwanted waste. We have eliminated friction in production processes, paperwork flows, and financial transactions. Just visit a modern “Lean” manufacturing site or consider the miracle of modern financial transactions…you see how reducing friction makes everything faster, cheaper, better.
Unhelpful friction creates excessive heat, slows things down, and wears out critical parts. No wonder so much effort and expense is invested in eliminating this thief of productivity!
In human systems friction has been ignored. The lack of clear cause and effect ROI, the “mystery” associated with human interactions, plus the cost pressures of the last big economic downturn which eliminated/reduced most HR Training and Organization Development has resulted in a big problem, and a HUGE opportunity!
Friction in human organizations results in excessive heat fueled by unmanaged conflict, slow progress in meetings and change programs, an epidemic of low engagement, and “burnout” of key talent.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Grab a piece of paper….OK, I’m waiting….go ahead, get a piece of paper and a pencil. Write down a few “human interactions” where you are experiencing excessive and unhelpful friction. Now, choose one to act upon. There are tons of friction busting tools and resources available…making human systems better is not an impossible task. Breaking the inertia to take action will make your life better. Once you take action on the first item, repeat. You’ll be glad you did!
Tom is a consultant, trainer, and coach with a lifetime of experience in reducing friction in human interactions. You can reach him via Linkedin or at [email protected] .