Circular reference

Dear members and constituents,
Ever get the feeling we are really into changing our organizational structure here at Level 3? It seems to me we should just come out and admit it. Organizational change is one of the things we are well versed at... you might go as far as calling it a core competency. While I'm in no position to comment on the logic, merit or perceived benefits this latest structural change will bring (although I understand there are many), it does occur to me we could learn a lesson or two from the humble donut. Allow me to explain. First of all, have you noticed how org charts are full or rectangles? Why not circles? I believe this subtle change, displaying names and titles in the confines of a friendly donut shape (no sharp corners to frighten the psyche) would help reduce friction and resistance to change. Second, we keep using the pendulum analogy, implying we have changed our mind about one change or another we've made in the past, to explain top management's general approach (e.g. we swing in the direction of distributed decision making only to swing back to centralized control -or some such variable). Rather than "swinging back", which implies retreat, why don't we instead "come full circle" --you got it, like a donut-- which conveys the idea of continued positive momentum. We've kept moving forward!

While explaining organizational change is sometimes challenging, announcing donuts have arrived is always a delightful experience. Today, Stacy Jackson has commissioned TimeWise to bring donuts in and had the foresight to provide them with more than general guidance. She specifically requested 18 glazed and a dozen specialty donuts. I might go as far as to say her choices are self-explanatory. So, no matter what your reporting structure looks like today it is comforting to know that we can always count on a humble donut (or two, or three...) to help put it all in perspective.

Happy Friday!

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Friday Donuts

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