9/22/2004

Organizations Feel Growing Pains

"As organizations enlarge, they often experience a variety of growing pains that signal that something has gone wrong in the process of organizational development. The ten most common organizational growing pains are listed here:

1. People feel that 'there are not enough hours in the day.'
2. People spend too much time 'putting out fires.'
3. People are not aware of what other people are doing.
4. People lack understanding about where the firm is headed.
5. There are too few good managers.
6. People feel that 'I have to do it myself if I want to get it done correctly.'
7. Most people feel that meetings are a waste of time.
8. When plans are made, there is little follow-up, so things just don't get done.
9. Some people feel insecure about their place in the firm.
10. The firm continues to grow in sales but not in profits."

Each of these growing pains is described in this article from About.com