Online Reporter
Employee Relations
Dr Request Machimbira
Artificial emergencies are a pervasive and insidious threat to organisational productivity.
These manufactured crises, often perpetuated by poor planning and inadequate management, hijack the agenda, derail productivity and leave a trail of frustration and burnout in their wake.
Artificial emergencies are a plague on organisations, manifesting as sudden, urgent tasks that materialise out of thin air, often on Mondays or at the end of the month.
Employees are forced to abandon important projects and the entire organisation is thrown into chaos.
But how do issues become urgent all of a sudden?
The answer lies in poor planning, inadequate forecasting, and ineffective management.
A lack of accountability, insufficient training, and poor communication also contribute to the creation of artificial emergencies.
Productivity is the lifeblood of any human enterprise, and its optimisation is a delicate dance between time, planning, and management. It is a battle that requires strategy, finesse, and a deep understanding of the human element.
As the saying goes, “time is money”, and in the world of business, time is indeed a precious commodity that cannot be wasted.
No matter how smart or well-equipped an organisation may be, productivity is ultimately realised in time and space. It is a harsh reality that cannot be ignored.
Yet, despite this understanding, many organisations continue to fall prey to the “artificial emergencies” phenomenon.
Have you ever noticed how tasks suddenly become urgent on Mondays or at the end of the month?
It is as if the weekend or the month-end is a magic trigger that suddenly makes everything urgent.
But how do issues become urgent all of a sudden?
Staff went for the weekend, enjoyed their braais, watched football, and even travelled. All of a sudden – boom! There are urgent things to be done on a Monday morning. Why did we not foresee these things on Friday before leaving for the weekend?
Artificial emergencies are man-made and unnatural; it is time we understand their character and rein them in. They are a flaw in human resources programming, often perpetuated by managers who apply a “Just-In-Time” (JIT) approach to work.
This is actually evidence of limited or non-existent work planning.
A report cannot become urgent at the end of the month; it simply means management is not forecasting work demands or programming the work accordingly.
Artificial emergencies are like a debilitating disease, spreading rapidly and infecting the entire organisation.
Everything becomes abrupt, like the “dibula watibula” (haphazard) type of football that characterises certain soccer teams.
Productivity cannot be optimised in such a chaotic environment. Work planning needs to be systematic and institutionalised.
CEOs need to create organisational cultures that prioritise work planning. As long as your HOD does not have a plan for the following week or month, you must expect artificial emergencies.
Companies invest significant time and money in strategic planning, but they often falter when it comes to operations planning.
Ultimately, this hampers strategy. Strategy faces threats not only from competition but primarily from the efficiency of those responsible for executing it.
At this point in the year, Expectations Mapping, Operations Planning, Work Forecasting and similar activities should be the main priorities in boardrooms.
The solution to artificial emergencies lies in pre-anticipation planning: a proactive approach that treats every strategic goal as a project with a clear plan.
This requires diary management, diary sharing, and recruiting teams into weekly and monthly work plans.
By anticipating challenges and opportunities, organisations can enhance their preparedness, serve their customers better and deliver value consistently.
Implementing agile methodologies, adopting lean principles, and automating routine tasks can also contribute to a more productive work environment.
Artificial emergencies are a leadership failure; a sign of inefficient delegation and poor management.
Leaders must invest in quality management, supervisory development, and leadership programmes that prioritise planning, goal clarity and task prioritisation.
Organisations must take back control of their productivity by reining in artificial emergencies.
This requires a cultural shift, prioritising planning, and creating an environment where employees can thrive. It is time to recognise the value of human resources and optimise productivity by eliminating artificial emergencies.
Organisations need to be intentional about reining in artificial emergencies to optimise human resources productivity.
It is time to take back control, prioritise planning, and create a culture of productivity. The battle for productivity is won or lost in the trenches of daily operations.
Let us rise to the challenge and create a workplace where artificial emergencies are a rarity, not the norm.
Dr Request Machimbira is the Executive Director for Proficiency Consulting Group and the International Wellness Institute. He is a leading, multi-award-winning human resources expert, strategy facilitator, board trainer, team-building coach, wellness consultant, independent labour arbitrator, board chairperson, and published author. He writes in his personal capacity.
