JOBS THAT DEFEAT COMPETENT PEOPLE.

Great in the 80's - Did they ever leave Rio? 

The business environment is changing so quickly that people need to change with it - but that does not always happen and jobs\positions appear in organisations which defeat people who otherwise have been very competent and who have done very well in their previous roles -- this often happens when an organisation is subject to rapid change or rapid growth.

The growth and change of an organisation can render certain jobs\positions outdated and narrow in terms of what they achieved before. An organisation initially had a largely domestic market selling to domestic consumers. Once its international sales took off -- the job\role of the Head of Marketing and Sales became much more complex and challenging. The job title remained but the job itself became very different and required a much broader base of skills and knowledge. The position was overtaken by events\change and the incumbent person didn't have the knowledge or training to cope as well as they should\could have done. That person was best suited to doing the previous job not the new job they had been thrust into.

In terms of our present position of downsizing and redundancy -- individuals are required to take on portions of other roles (frequently those who have left the organisation) and to do their best to cope. Paradoxically the training support and budgets to help them achieve success are often also reduced producing a double whammy effect on the person who is facing this newly expanded role. Mentoring and support is required but again that is often lacking but should nevertheless be insisted upon.

 

Often these changes take place in jobs and the formal HR arrangements of job descriptions and support processes just do not keep pace and the individual feels himself being engulfed by a torrent of change.

We do need to ensure that the capabilities match the change agenda the organisation is experiencing because without that -- many good people are let go. Many of them have served the organisation well but cannot continue doing what they did yesterday without taking account of today's realities.

It is a difficult challenge we will all have to face.