Fast Company Article April, 1999 Kari Fruechte

"The Agenda: A Special Report on the People, Teams and Companies that are Creating the Future of Business", p.110-182.

The group of articles that fall under this title included a close look at four organizations or businesses that the authors felt were excellent examples of success. I had a hard time choosing just one of the articles to write about, so I am attempting to summarize the over-all impressions I picked out for their success. The first story was about the grassroots leadership of the commander of a navy ship, the USS Benfold. The description of the way this commander leads his crew and the way the doctors at the Mayo Clinic run their clinic in that particular article were, I thought, very similar. The importance of getting the organization to work together as a team and function as a whole was strongly emphasized. Although there was definitely a "boss" in the first article, the "boss" at the Mayo Clinic is not as visible. Yet in both situations, the crew and medical team were seen as the real meat of the organization and the ones responsible for the outcome of their success. The goal of a business or organization is always success, but getting all the employees to buy into how that success will be measured and how they are each responsible seems to be the trick. In the University of MN Extension Service, we aspire to being a horizontal organization like the Mayo Clinic. I thought we had some real similarities in the way we take time to do full research before committing time and energy to projects, and the way we try to involve our clients in decision-making. The one advantage a coworker and I saw in the Mayo network was the definite leadership and vission for direction that was very clear. Contrasting the Mayo Clinic approach to the article about Trivoli Systems and their position of fast change was interesting. Again, the U of MN Extension Service takes more of the slow-change approach, which I must admit, sometimes frustrates me. The Trivoli Company had gained success from making quick decisions and staying just ahead of the cutting edge in technology. Sometimes I think the Extension Service moves too slow because we wait for all the research to come in, and we lose the ability to offer our services when the need is the greatest - before the peak of an issue. I guess our organization is more traditional, like the clinic, but I wonder if that needs to change a bit to remain proactive in today's world. Trivoli's idea was if you wait too long to introduce a new product, it will be obsolete before it arrives. The last article on the Freeplay Group was very inspiring to me. That a company is willing to work on products that use less energy and technology, and has a mission to improve the quality of life for people is important to me. Their whole philosophy of employing people with less-than-desirable backgrounds for most employers, and working in countries that we often fail to acknowledge, should be a lesson to all of us in the education field. I think one of our missions needs to be working with ALL people and teaching life skills that help everyone become more self-sufficient. I like to think the U of MN Extension Service is as true to a mission and dedicated to its work, while at the same time maintaining a business attitude. Discussing this series of articles with my husband led him to compare these businesses with his business of farming. Although he is self-employed, he make many connections to the practices of these organizations. He still is very much a part of several teams that must work together to get his products to market. He also is very committed to growing a quality product and uses the free market to the advantage of many. Working more in cooperatives and producer organizations will, he hopes, enable more farmers to remain in business. Remaining on the cutting edge of technology and making quick, effective decisions are very much a part of his business.

-- Anonymous, April 15, 1999

Answers

Thanks for your summary and comments of this article. Please remember to organize your writing into paragraph format so it is easier to read.

You did a nice job of analyzing this article and relating it to your job with Extension. We all find ourselves frustrated by the slow pace that we must live with in our bureaucratic organizations. We know what we would like to accomplish, but often find that it can take a long time to get others in the organization moving in the same direction.

What could you do in Extension to be more proactive?

-- Anonymous, May 20, 1999