Internal problems in an organization can derive from a multitude of factors, and knowing who is the problem may help you solve it. There could be underlying issues in the company, management, or employees.
To get to the heart of it all, you must peel back the layers, starting with problems at the surface, and working backward to the source.
ORGANIZATIONAL PROBLEMS: IT’S JUST THE BEGINNING
Look at organizational problems as the gateway to deciphering what’s happening in the company. They may seem broad, but each one could lead you to a particular source.
Issues Identified: Low productivity, declining employee engagement, high turnover
Source: Management
Issues Identified: Waning customer satisfaction, low project accuracy
Source: Employees
Issues Identified: A deadlock in innovation and productivity, toxic company culture, high employee attrition
Source: The Company
Let’s dive into each one to take a deeper look!
MANAGEMENT CAN MAKE OR BREAK YOU
There’s no debate that managers are set in place to ensure employees are performing their specific tasks, engaged in their work, and have what they need to succeed.
You may notice poor productivity and low employee morale when this doesn’t happen. These symptoms are associated with bad management.
Bad management can create the following organizational problems: poor process management, diminished employee engagement, and a high turnover rate.
POOR PROCESS MANAGEMENT
Warning Signs: Late projects, low work output, redundant workflows
Poor process management can stem from inefficient managers who may have a nimiety of employees working on the same project or focusing all efforts on tasks that aren’t as important in the grand scheme of things.
There’s also a chance that the manager isn’t aligning employees’ skill sets with the appropriate tasks, which can drastically slow down production. It may even appear as if work isn’t being completed at all.
Whatever the case may be, pull the company’s managers in for additional training on delegating tasks according to the current company goal. Encourage managers to get to know their employees’ strengths and weaknesses to plan successful company projects.
An organization can run into another process management complication.
Managers are expected to put efficient processes and strategies in play so that everything runs smoothly and in tandem with the business’s primary functions.
When a process is no longer productive or ineffective, it’s also within the manager’s scope of field to either replace or eradicate it.
When the manager is accustomed to the current routine and workflow, they may not see any discrepancies, which is a problem.
HIGH TURNOVER RATE
Warning Signs: Low employee morale, recurring unanticipated absences
Believe it or not, poor process management can contribute to a high turnover rate. Employees may be distressingly aware of the company’s inefficient workflow and hate how it hinders their work performance.
Employees want to perform well at their job, and if that’s stifled, they may start jumping ship.
However, there are more components to high turnover:
Poor company culture
No employee advancement structure
Low compensation
Not asking for employee feedback or ignoring it once received
No employee benefits or a lack of accessible benefits
WHEN IT BOILS DOWN TO YOUR EMPLOYEES
Employees are at the forefront of every business, and they’re usually the first interaction clients or customers have with the company. When the source of the problem is the employees, you may notice…
UNSATISFACTORY CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
Warning Signs: Increase in customer complaints, customers closing accounts or walking away, a lack of referrals, or no referrals at all.
When products and services meet the customer’s satisfaction, but customer service isn’t carrying its weight, look at your employees.
Take note of how employees handle their calls and customer interactions. Ask yourself:
Are they following company policies and procedures?
Do they lack proper training?
Are they missing the critical tools to make them successful?
And one more thing, how are they treating each other?
How employees treat each other has a significant impact on customer satisfaction. If attitudes and unsavory behavior are flying around the office, some of that energy can carry over to customer interactions when unchecked.
DIFFICULT EMPLOYEES
Warning Signs: Disrespectful to coworkers and management, doesn’t take responsibility for their actions, not willing to pitch in when the workload increases
The way employees interrelate amongst each other makes a difference. When there’s a good team, and everyone works well together, the company has the possibility to thrive.
Challenging employees can throw this out of whack.
Types of difficult employees:
Combative
Disruptive
Insubordinate
Lazy
Disgruntled
The ones that really don’t want to be there
Employees like these can create problems not only for the company but for the good employees who want to do well.
IMPORTANT: TROUBLESOME EMPLOYEES CAN CONTRIBUTE TO HIGH EMPLOYEE TURNOVER; 25% OF EMPLOYEES QUIT THEIR JOBS BECAUSE OF PROBLEMATIC COWORKERS.
…OR MAYBE IT’S THE COMPANY
Unfortunately, as an employer, we can aid in our own organizational problems. Maybe we’re hanging on to bad management or undesirable employees for too long.
This allows a stalemate to develop in employee creativity and work output, but that’s not all.
A HALT IN INNOVATION AND PRODUCTIVITY
Warning Signs: Slow to no company progress, no new ideas, a plateau in sales or growth, and an increased turnover rate
Look at this as two sides of the same coin. One side is management, the other side is the employees, and the company is the master of this coin.
Both sides have to be adequately trained to support each other and have the capacity to encourage company growth.
Each side could be working to their perceived potential, but if the master of the coin isn’t…
Providing good company culture
Equipping managers with the knowledge to manage a productive team
Ensuring transparency with company goals
Incorporating ideas from everyone involved
Production and innovation will take a nosedive.
Hone in on the aspects of company culture, employee retention, and good management practices to avoid being the root cause of organizational problems.
Whether it’s employees, management, or the company itself, don’t let the problem fester for too long. Otherwise, those issues will get out of hand and spill over into other areas of the business.
To get to the heart of it all, you must peel back the layers, starting with problems at the surface, and working backward to the source.
ORGANIZATIONAL PROBLEMS: IT’S JUST THE BEGINNING
Look at organizational problems as the gateway to deciphering what’s happening in the company. They may seem broad, but each one could lead you to a particular source.
Issues Identified: Low productivity, declining employee engagement, high turnover
Source: Management
Issues Identified: Waning customer satisfaction, low project accuracy
Source: Employees
Issues Identified: A deadlock in innovation and productivity, toxic company culture, high employee attrition
Source: The Company
Let’s dive into each one to take a deeper look!
MANAGEMENT CAN MAKE OR BREAK YOU
There’s no debate that managers are set in place to ensure employees are performing their specific tasks, engaged in their work, and have what they need to succeed.
You may notice poor productivity and low employee morale when this doesn’t happen. These symptoms are associated with bad management.
Bad management can create the following organizational problems: poor process management, diminished employee engagement, and a high turnover rate.
POOR PROCESS MANAGEMENT
Warning Signs: Late projects, low work output, redundant workflows
Poor process management can stem from inefficient managers who may have a nimiety of employees working on the same project or focusing all efforts on tasks that aren’t as important in the grand scheme of things.
There’s also a chance that the manager isn’t aligning employees’ skill sets with the appropriate tasks, which can drastically slow down production. It may even appear as if work isn’t being completed at all.
Whatever the case may be, pull the company’s managers in for additional training on delegating tasks according to the current company goal. Encourage managers to get to know their employees’ strengths and weaknesses to plan successful company projects.
An organization can run into another process management complication.
Managers are expected to put efficient processes and strategies in play so that everything runs smoothly and in tandem with the business’s primary functions.
When a process is no longer productive or ineffective, it’s also within the manager’s scope of field to either replace or eradicate it.
When the manager is accustomed to the current routine and workflow, they may not see any discrepancies, which is a problem.
HIGH TURNOVER RATE
Warning Signs: Low employee morale, recurring unanticipated absences
Believe it or not, poor process management can contribute to a high turnover rate. Employees may be distressingly aware of the company’s inefficient workflow and hate how it hinders their work performance.
Employees want to perform well at their job, and if that’s stifled, they may start jumping ship.
However, there are more components to high turnover:
Poor company culture
No employee advancement structure
Low compensation
Not asking for employee feedback or ignoring it once received
No employee benefits or a lack of accessible benefits
WHEN IT BOILS DOWN TO YOUR EMPLOYEES
Employees are at the forefront of every business, and they’re usually the first interaction clients or customers have with the company. When the source of the problem is the employees, you may notice…
UNSATISFACTORY CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
Warning Signs: Increase in customer complaints, customers closing accounts or walking away, a lack of referrals, or no referrals at all.
When products and services meet the customer’s satisfaction, but customer service isn’t carrying its weight, look at your employees.
Take note of how employees handle their calls and customer interactions. Ask yourself:
Are they following company policies and procedures?
Do they lack proper training?
Are they missing the critical tools to make them successful?
And one more thing, how are they treating each other?
How employees treat each other has a significant impact on customer satisfaction. If attitudes and unsavory behavior are flying around the office, some of that energy can carry over to customer interactions when unchecked.
DIFFICULT EMPLOYEES
Warning Signs: Disrespectful to coworkers and management, doesn’t take responsibility for their actions, not willing to pitch in when the workload increases
The way employees interrelate amongst each other makes a difference. When there’s a good team, and everyone works well together, the company has the possibility to thrive.
Challenging employees can throw this out of whack.
Types of difficult employees:
Combative
Disruptive
Insubordinate
Lazy
Disgruntled
The ones that really don’t want to be there
Employees like these can create problems not only for the company but for the good employees who want to do well.
IMPORTANT: TROUBLESOME EMPLOYEES CAN CONTRIBUTE TO HIGH EMPLOYEE TURNOVER; 25% OF EMPLOYEES QUIT THEIR JOBS BECAUSE OF PROBLEMATIC COWORKERS.
…OR MAYBE IT’S THE COMPANY
Unfortunately, as an employer, we can aid in our own organizational problems. Maybe we’re hanging on to bad management or undesirable employees for too long.
This allows a stalemate to develop in employee creativity and work output, but that’s not all.
A HALT IN INNOVATION AND PRODUCTIVITY
Warning Signs: Slow to no company progress, no new ideas, a plateau in sales or growth, and an increased turnover rate
Look at this as two sides of the same coin. One side is management, the other side is the employees, and the company is the master of this coin.
Both sides have to be adequately trained to support each other and have the capacity to encourage company growth.
Each side could be working to their perceived potential, but if the master of the coin isn’t…
Providing good company culture
Equipping managers with the knowledge to manage a productive team
Ensuring transparency with company goals
Incorporating ideas from everyone involved
Production and innovation will take a nosedive.
Hone in on the aspects of company culture, employee retention, and good management practices to avoid being the root cause of organizational problems.
Whether it’s employees, management, or the company itself, don’t let the problem fester for too long. Otherwise, those issues will get out of hand and spill over into other areas of the business.
How to Recognize The Source – Is It Your Employees? Or Is It You?
Brittany Brooks
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