Learned Helplessness
Group dynamics, especially in a workplace setting, can be rather fascinating. And frustrating...
A box of take-out Chinese food left on the table in the Break Room. Items left in the fridge for days or weeks past their expiration dates. Messy tables. Messy coffee area. How long does it take for someone to notice and clean things up? Why do people become immune or blind to such situations when in a group setting? Or do they truly act the same way at home as well?
For an entire day, no faxes were received and no fax confirmations were printed. The fax machine indicates that it's out of toner. Perhaps replacing the toner cartridge could solve this problem. If you've sent a fax but see no confirmation, or expect to receive a fax and don't, why don't you take a look at the machine to see if you can determine what the problem is? Though messy, replacing the toner cartridge immediately fixes everything. Why did a whole day go by without anyone figuring that out?
By now I should probably be used to things like this, to that sort of group mentality that says, "Well, OK, so I noticed that something wasn't quite right, but I figured I'd let someone else take care of it because it's not my responsibility" or "It just doesn't really matter to me" or "It doesn't inconvenience me so why should I care if it inconveniences my colleagues or makes our operations less effective?"
I guess it all comes down to the very basic level of simple common courtesy and consideration of others, but of course that relies on the fact that we acknowledge and admit that others exist and that they are equally important (if not more so) than we. Not always an easy task. And I have no idea how to make it easier or more widespread.
Any suggestions???
A box of take-out Chinese food left on the table in the Break Room. Items left in the fridge for days or weeks past their expiration dates. Messy tables. Messy coffee area. How long does it take for someone to notice and clean things up? Why do people become immune or blind to such situations when in a group setting? Or do they truly act the same way at home as well?
For an entire day, no faxes were received and no fax confirmations were printed. The fax machine indicates that it's out of toner. Perhaps replacing the toner cartridge could solve this problem. If you've sent a fax but see no confirmation, or expect to receive a fax and don't, why don't you take a look at the machine to see if you can determine what the problem is? Though messy, replacing the toner cartridge immediately fixes everything. Why did a whole day go by without anyone figuring that out?
By now I should probably be used to things like this, to that sort of group mentality that says, "Well, OK, so I noticed that something wasn't quite right, but I figured I'd let someone else take care of it because it's not my responsibility" or "It just doesn't really matter to me" or "It doesn't inconvenience me so why should I care if it inconveniences my colleagues or makes our operations less effective?"
I guess it all comes down to the very basic level of simple common courtesy and consideration of others, but of course that relies on the fact that we acknowledge and admit that others exist and that they are equally important (if not more so) than we. Not always an easy task. And I have no idea how to make it easier or more widespread.
Any suggestions???
posted by jms | 11:18 AM
1 Comments:
The first time I brought the empty toner cartridge from the photocopier to one of the secretaries and asked where I could get a full cartridge, the secretary almost dropped dead. She said that I was the first person in all of her years to ever take the intiative to change the toner. She said that everyone else just used a different copier until the toner was "magically" changed.
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