Families of our time can afford two TV’s. This brings more possibilities and is often a solution to peace in a household in the evening.

Modern companies used to have two or more TV’s. Now they have to live with one. Resources for business have been significantly reduced – less money, but also fewer employees to do the work. On the other hand, business plans are getting bigger every year. Along with the reduction of resources, procedures are becoming more complicated and control is being improved.

The matrix organizational structure which groups employees by their function, has been giving positive results for years during market growth and sales. During the global crisis uneasiness is creeping into organizations due to lack of resources and uncertainty. Sometimes the answer to the crisis is to pull back an employee or the whole function deep into the base of their role, just as tension in a home is resolved by everyone watching their TV program. Person A, who works in Belgrade, sends a monthly report to person B, his superior in Madrid, who distributes the report in a modified form to the organization. Person C is sitting in the office next to person A and receives the report, which he needs for his work, from person B in Madrid after a few weeks.

How do we agree on watching one TV?

Maybe we should start with the basics and ask where our salary comes from? The answer is crystally clear – the buyer / client puts in the money into the company’s account. The focus of the organization derives from this view. The role of a leader is invaluable moments like this. It is vital that there is a mutual trust between participants and faith in the common direction of progress. Indirect management style means that there are no pre-prepared answers. The decision on upcoming steps comes from a dialogue. A team believes in a process, that something will happen, they may be surprised by something that they came up with together. Most importantly the management will transfer this new energy of creation to an entire organization.

In the past during challenging times, people gathered to make important decisions. The motive for gathering around one TV in modern organizations is the same, but the way it is managed has changed. A leader is not the pater or mater familias who determines what will be watched on the single TV in the organization. The management team jointly makes a decision on focus and priorities by using common sense.

(Published in “Nedeljnik”, December 2021)