Corporate Attention Deficit

Image courtesy Leo Reynolds
I've been talking to an organisation recently undertaking knowledge transfer for departing staff. Many of these people have unique knowledge that, if lost, could adversely affect the organisation's ability to deliver its objectives. Having invested serious time in understanding what knowledge is most important for the future, further effort has gone into turning interview outputs into useable material. Typically, these are 8-10 page documents and short video and audio clips packed with insights, risks, and other rich, actionable information.

It seems that in these highly pressured times, this is too much, reduced to 'just gimme a one-pager'. How do you usefully reduce 10 years experience and 6 at-risk projects in a soundbite with no context?

Take a look at some of the symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, normally applied to children, and consider them in relation to your organisation:

• Fails to pay close attention to detail.
• Fails to finish tasks or sustain attention in activities.
• Seems not to listen to what is said to him or her.
• Fails to follow through instructions or to finish homework or chores (not because of confrontational behaviour or failure to understand instructions).
• Disorganised about tasks and activities.
• Avoids tasks that require sustained mental effort.
• Loses things necessary for certain tasks or activities, such as pencils, books or toys.
• Easily distracted.