Organizational Inertia: A Consequence of Conforming to Low Standards

“It is not only what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable.” -Moliére

One of the greatest lessons in management lies in the Parable of the Prodigal Son, which emphasizes the equally reprehensible nature of two types of sin: sins of commission and sins of omission. Sins of commission include overtly disobedient acts such as murder, theft, and libel. In an organization, such sins might play out as blaming others, gossiping, or abusing one’s clients. Sins of omission, on the other hand, are acts left undone. One might commit a sin of omission by neglecting to do something that might save a life, eradicate a problem, or lead to a greater positive impact. Of the two types of sins, sins of omission are especially common in the day-to-day activities of the organizations that define society.

While reading the article "Why Hospitals Don’t Learn from Failures: Organizational and Psychological Dynamics that Inhibit System Change" (Tucker and Edmonson, 2003), I was not surprised to learn how common these sins are in healthcare administration. Healthcare workers tend to employ first-order, rather than second-order, problem-solving technique when addressing everyday dilemmas. The article illustrates why first-order problem-solving is so ineffective by using the following example which, though seemingly inconsequential, is symbolic of bigger problems: An oncology floor nurse working on the night shift runs out of clean linen to change her patients’ beds. To solve this, she walks to another unit that has linen in stock and takes from their supply. Most readers would find nothing wrong with this, but upon further analysis it is clear that the nurse is committing a sin of omission.

How so? She does not realize that by taking from someone else’s supply to solve her own problem, she is creating a new problem elsewhere. A better course of action—a second-order solution—would have been to directly call the linen suppliers and ensure that her own floor as well as the rest of the hospital were restocked, even if she were still to take linen from the other unit. By going the extra mile, she would have eradicated the problem at the root of all other problems. Instead, she deprived others of their resources in order to maintain her own. Her failure to do something that would have benefitted everyone at the expense of none is to be considered a sin of omission. Similarly subtle acts of selfishness add up to create macroscopic dilemmas in the various sectors of business and society.

Not to say that I am not a culprit of this myself. For many years, I had been using a first-order method to solve problems in my personal, professional, and academic life. Lacking the insight or patience to thoroughly diagnose obstacles I encountered, I would find temporary fixes. I used to rush to complete projects simply for the sake of getting them done, paying no regard to the quality or accuracy of my work. It was a very superficial path to achievement. I now know how inherently sinful it is to put less than optimal effort into one’s work, especially when it is in the service of others. How selfish. What if I were a doctor, treating a patient presenting with a rare disease? Would I do “just enough” to get rid of the disease and have the patient go along on his own way? No. I would make an effort to ensure proper follow-up and offer preventive services, such that the patient did not face the same problem again. Though it is common sense, many of us neglect to put in adequate effort in our daily work to conquer the problems we face once and for all.

Therefore, it is important for both individuals and organizations to have high standards. In conforming to low standards and being intellectually indolent, we hurt not only the people we serve but also ourselves. It is an insult to the world to not go forth in one’s work with the utmost energy, conscientiousness, discipline, altruism, and love that one can muster. It is a sin of omission to not give one’s all in the service of others. When the people that make up an organization commit sins of omission, the organization as a whole fails. The lesson here is to never neglect an opportunity to go the extra mile. It is the only way to keep moving forward.

References:

Tucker, A. L., & Edmonson, A.C. (2003). Why Hospitals Don't Learn from Failures: Organizational and psychological dynamics that inhibit system change. California Management Review. pp. 55- 72.