The Lessons from a bridge
Believe it or not, even though I went to medical school I have a degree in Civil Engineering. You see, when I went to West Point everyone graduated with a Bachelor of Science and everyone had an engineering focus area. Mine was civil engineering. I learned a lot about the various stress loads of trusses. I became very familiar with the CRC Handbook - and looked up the various stress load factors for “I” beams of various materials.
Stress in mechanical terms is a measurement that factors in the design of a material and the substance of a material to quantify the amount of load a particular entity can handle. When the demand on an object is greater than the stress point, catastrophic failure can occur.
When two “I” beams are combined the load capability can be increased well beyond what either of the two beams could withstand individually but only if properly fit together.
If an organization is a bridge then its people are its beams. Each beam shows up with its inherent stress load factor. How we put it together and reinforce them makes a huge difference. In other words, design matters.
How we think about the organizational design of the company often centers on structure. Inherent in the structure are the lines of authority, the operating philosophy, systems and processes, the number of staff, and key functions.
If you have a poorly designed bridge it will likely fail, and fail fairly quickly. But what causes the failures of most bridges after they have been in use for some time? Failures tend to happen at known stress points – typically at the junctures of the beams. In order for a bridge to work properly for the extent of its lifetime, each beam is required to reinforce and support another, and likewise each beam needs to be supported by another. Similarly, people need to feel reinforced and supported. How the beam behaves in the context of its design is the essence of organizational dynamics.
Of all the many parts of the bridge the one that may not be recognized is its bolts. The golden gate bridge has 600,000 bolts that keep the bridge together.
Now it would be easy for me to say that technology is the bolts. But it is not...technology is one of the many parts of the bridge that serves its purpose within the organization like a truss or cable.
The bolts, for me, represent TRUST. The intangible element that allows for each part to rely on each other. A high trust environment it is the single most important buffer to temper the impact of stress.
We can design for many things and often rely on experts to help us understand how to architect and at times build for a stated purpose – efficiency, growth, even for things like agility and speed. But I have found few who truly understand and talk about the need to intentionally and deeply talk about trust. No bridge will stand without bolts. That means that people must trust people in order to lock arms together.
Trust is one of the most often quoted element that drives business success. The customer must trust in your brand..that is why we create a brand promise. Staff must trust in their team mates and managers. The shareholders must trust in their board of directors. The list goes on. But trust is not something that is acquired from a book or presentation. It is a feeling and a belief. It is nurtured, cared for, and protected. For when it is gone…it is nearly impossible to gain back.
Changes are inevitable but losing trust is nonnegotiable. What you do must be as well thought out as how you do it.
May you build towards your future with bolts that will withstand the test of time because of the way you have nurtured and protected your bond of trust.