Dysfunction - a disturbance in the usual pattern of activity or behavior. An irregularity in the functioning of an organ or other part or system of the body (the following is my contribution to Mr Webster - to include a; position, department, branch, division, approach, strategy, philosophy, product, policy, tactic, goal, objective, plan - did I miss anything?)

So in reality I’ll bet every organization operating today is dysfunctional in some way.
So, the questions are; (don’t even read them if you are not prepared to be totally honest with yourself.)

1) Is this dysfunction getting in the way of your growth, profits or market share?

2) Is this dysfunction preventing you from clearly viewing your past, present and future?

3) Is this dysfunction causing you to develop attitudes that are counterproductive to the success you desire?

4) Are some departments or branches or divisions more dysfunctional than others? Why?

5) Has your organization’s or department’s dysfunction increased during the past couple of years? If so, why?

6) Are you accurately aware of where your organization is dysfunctional?

7) Are you stuck in dysfunctional behaviors, policies or approaches because of someone’s ego?

Are you stuck in dysfunctional behaviors or attitudes about current or past products or services?

9) Are your employees more aware of your organization’s dysfunctions than you are?

10) Are you willing to look honestly at areas of your business that are dysfunctional and take appropriate actions to reduce their consequences?

You might consider posing the above questions to your direct reports or even your employees, if you have the courage that is!

Let’s face it; you’ll never be dysfunction free. Why? Because your organization is made up of humans and humans are generally dysfunctional. This is why organizations are dysfunctional. If you could eliminate people from your organization I’ll bet it would be normal or not dysfunctional.

One of my favorite lines is - if you want more problems - hire more people. However, please keep in mind that it’s your people who do the work but must do it while; putting up with poor leadership, often having to tolerate idiots for bosses, often being under paid and under appreciated and in spite of all of this they are expected to perform miracles day in and day out.

So the real question is; is most of your dysfunction top-down or bottom-up?