The True Nature of Organizations Where Hard Workers Get More Work: The Perspective of 'Judgment' Common to Work Tips
Why is it that even though hard workers are getting more work,
meetings don't reach decisions, and effort doesn't lead to recognition?
The problem is not personality or ability.
Where does 'judgment' arise between the field, systems, and organizational structure,
who does it pass through, and where does it go—
the issue is that this flow has become invisible.
In this article, we will organize the structure that causes work to stall,
and the practical perspective of 'provisional decision-making' to get it moving.
Work-related worries that seemed separate
Up until now, I have written several articles
on the theme of 'work tips'.
Good people end up with more work.
They can't say no and end up taking it all on.
They notice too much and get exhausted.
They do things properly but aren't evaluated for it.
The atmosphere in meetings is heavy, and nothing gets decided.
The content I have covered might seem like different worries.
The workplaces, positions, and situations are all different.
Therefore, they feel like separate problems.
However, as I continued to write, I noticed a common thread.
These were not completely separate problems at all.
The problem was the structure, not the effort
There is something I realized while writing about work tips.
What they had in common was not effort.
It was not personality, nor was it ability.
It is that there was always the same structure where work stalls.
'Judgment' common to everything
Work worries, at first glance, look completely different on the surface.
The problem of workload.
The problem of personality.
The problem of evaluation systems.
The problem of workplace atmosphere.
However, if you take a bird's-eye view,
there was a common movement there.
That is 'judgment'.
People who end up with more work
take on judgments that should have been shared
without even realizing it.
People who are hard to evaluate
make many judgments every day,
but finish without ever putting them into words.
And on the organization's side,
the state of waiting for someone else to decide continues,
and the judgment itself ends up floating in limbo.
It's not that anyone is bad.
It's not that there isn't enough effort.
It's just that where judgment is born, who it passes through, and where it goes—
that 'flow' had become invisible.
Three points where work stalls
So, where does work stall?
Looking back at my previous articles,
there was a common shape to situations where work stagnates.
In the flow, work mainly stalls at three points.
First is theentrance.
When asked to do a job,
you take it on thinking, 'It's faster if I do it myself.'
You take on the judgment along with it while roles remain ambiguous.
Here, the judgment that should have been dispersed
begins to gather in one person.
Second is themiddle.
While proceeding with work,
you move forward without putting into words how you decided things.
You coordinate, think, avoid risks, and choose a direction.
Even so, you only share that 'it is complete'.
Judgment is being exercised,
but within the organization, it's as if it never existed.
And third is theexit.
Opinions are all out on the table in meetings.
There is no major opposition.
Even so, it ends with 'let's wait and see a little longer'.
No one wants to be wrong.
So, without a final judgment being placed,
it becomes a state of just waiting for consensus.
Taking on judgment at the entrance,
holding onto judgment in the middle,
and not placing judgment at the exit.
In this way, the flow of work quietly stops.
The worries I have covered so far
seemed like separate problems.
But in reality,
they were events happening at different places in the same 'flow of judgment'.
The 'Provisional Decision' That Keeps the Flow Moving
So, how can we keep the flow of work from stopping?
I have discussed various things up to this point, but
the secret to moving work forward is actually very simple.
It is to 'make a provisional decision'.
If you try to decide everything perfectly, work will stop.
If you wait until everyone is satisfied, the decision will be left hanging.
However, what is truly needed in a work environment
is not a correct decision from the start.
It is to put into words, at this moment, which direction to proceed.
In other words, it is to place a 'provisional judgment' on the table.
For example,
'For now, let's proceed in this direction.'
'Why don't we try Plan A first?'
'I will proceed with this understanding for now, but let's correct it if it feels wrong.'
This is not a final decision.
Rather, it is a decision made on the premise that it can be changed later.
That is precisely why people can start moving.
Once a provisional decision is made,
you can see what needs to be done next.
The judgment is passed to the next person, and the work begins to flow forward.
Instead of aiming for perfection, don't stop the flow.
Instead of searching for the right answer, pass the judgment forward.
The small act of 'making a provisional decision'
is not only a technique for advancing work,
but also an action that creates a flow of judgment.
Organizations Move Not by Atmosphere, but by the Flow of Judgment
If I put what we have seen so far into words again,
it leads to something very simple.
We usually try to understand the workplace through its 'atmosphere'.
The atmosphere is good.
It's easy to talk.
There is a heavy atmosphere.
It feels somewhat difficult to move forward.
However, when observing the actual site,
a slightly different view emerges.
When a meeting stops,
it is not necessarily due to people's personalities.
Even when evaluations don't align,
it is not necessarily due to a lack of effort.
Behind that, the same thing was always happening.
Where is the judgment born,
who does it pass through,
and where is it passed on to?
When that flow is visible, work proceeds naturally.
When the flow is interrupted, the organization quietly stops.
In other words—
while an organization may appear to move by atmosphere,
it is actually moving by the flow of judgment.
Atmosphere is not the cause, but the result.
Small daily judgments accumulate,
and it may just be that they appear as an 'atmosphere' later on.
That is why the first step to changing work
is not to try to change the atmosphere,
but to pay attention to the flow that moves judgment forward.
Where Am I Standing in the Flow Right Now?
I have written about how to advance work up to this point, but
I do not intend to have talked about special abilities or personalities.
Rather, I have only re-examined very daily events
that happen in every workplace and to every person.
Perhaps we
have learned too much from the perspective of
'how hard we work'.
Moving quickly.
Taking on a lot.
Meeting expectations.
These are certainly important.
However, that alone does not make work lighter.
Work may appear to be completed by one person,
but it always connects to someone's judgment,
and passes on to the next person's action.
Therefore, what is truly necessary
is not to look for ways to work harder,
but perhaps to know 'where you are standing in the flow' right now.
If you feel like work might stop a little tomorrow,
before trying to change the atmosphere,
please ask yourself just one question.
Is this judgment moving forward right now?
That small perspective
might be the trigger that changes how you see work a little.
While writing this series, my own view of work has changed a little.
There are still things I haven't been able to put into words,
but I would like to continue thinking about them.
Reading from a different angle: 'Work Tips' series
The content touched upon in this article is written from different situations.