The Work Around Work - A Case Study

A Managing Director of a successful recruitment business approached us with what appeared to be a straightforward operational issue. The business was growing, revenue was healthy and demand remained strong, yet productivity had begun to plateau. Managers felt stretched, projects regularly slipped beyond agreed timescales and there was a growing sense that people were working harder than ever whilst achieving less.

The initial diagnosis was familiar. The leadership team believed they had a systems problem. Reporting was inconsistent, visibility was poor and several key processes relied heavily on individual knowledge. Understandably, attention quickly turned towards technology, process redesign and organisational structure.

Before recommending any changes, we spent time inside the business speaking with managers, consultants, support teams and directors. We observed meetings, reviewed workflows and examined how decisions moved through the organisation. What emerged was not a technology issue at all.

The business had gradually become burdened by what we often describe as "the work around work".

People were attending meetings to prepare for other meetings. Managers were producing reports that few people used. Decisions that should have taken minutes were taking days because individuals were seeking reassurance rather than accountability. Teams were spending increasing amounts of time managing communication about work rather than completing the work itself.

None of these activities appeared particularly significant in isolation. In fact, most had been introduced with good intentions. Collectively, however, they were consuming a substantial proportion of the organisation's capacity.

One senior manager estimated that nearly half of her week was spent chasing information, clarifying responsibilities or resolving misunderstandings between teams. She wasn't managing performance. She wasn't developing people. She was acting as a translator between different parts of the business.

The solution did not involve a major systems implementation or organisational restructuring. Instead, we focused on simplifying communication, clarifying accountability and reducing unnecessary complexity. Reporting was streamlined, decision-making authority was clarified and several recurring meetings were removed entirely. Managers were encouraged to make decisions rather than prepare didscussions about decisions.

Over the following six months, productivity improved, management capacity increased and project delivery became noticeably more consistent. More importantly, people felt they had regained control of their working day.

Reflecting yon the engagement, the Managing Director made an observation that captured the situation perfectly.

"I thought we had too much work. What we actually had was too much work around the work."

It is a distinction that matters.

Most organisations pay close attention to the activities that generate value. Far fewer recognise how much time is consumed by the habits, behaviours and processes that quietly accumulate around them. Yet it is often in these hidden layers that efficiency, engagement and performance are won or lost.

The challenge for leaders is not simply understanding what people are doing. It is understanding everything they are doing that prevents them from doing it.