Stories, truth, and time

Modern Machine Shop, March, 1994 by Thomas L. Beard

Every now and then, you stumble across a defining moment that reveals something important about a person, event or organization. Such a moment befell me ten years ago, in another line of work.

One day a marketing manager and I were discussing something or other when his boss walked in, ostensibly wanting to know why a product in development was running behind schedule. He would be traveling to corporate headquarters in a few days and they would ask about it, and he'd better have a plausible explanation for the delay. Then, as the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, he said, "Don't get me wrong. I don't need the truth, I just need a story."

We all thought that was pretty funny at the time. And why not? The guys in corporate were nice enough, but didn't really have a grasp of our business. Communications with them were more a formality than anything else. Besides, those people weren't there to help, only to be answered to, and to be kept at bay.

What's not so amusing in retrospect is how much of our precious time went to similar "management" endeavors--talking to each other because it was required, not because it was really getting either one of us anywhere we needed to go. And I've since come to realize how common that scenario is in all sorts of organizations, large and small. If it's not another plant or office, it's another department--engineering, marketing, quality, or whoever the "other guys" are--that you make a point to talk to, but not about anything important. There is the work we do to further the interests of the organization. And there is the work we do simply to feed the organizational expectations of "teamwork." Shrewd managers understand the difference, and it's an interesting test of character to see which job they take more seriously. Perhaps a little of the chatter serves some purpose. But the hours spent at it do nothing to move a company closer to achieving its goals.

Then again, maybe that's all a tad harsh. The real point is that for manufacturing organizations to prosper, everyone must have a clear view of their collective objectives and shortcomings, and a plan for getting better. That starts with a company-wide bias for the truth, regardless of what anybody wants to hear.