The Big Thaw

Scientists are studying a frozen lake in Antarctica where entire ecosystems are locked inside solid ice. The lake never thaws, but six feet down in the ice there are tiny clumps of dark material. In the summer, when the sun shines down through the ice, a small amount of liquid water forms around the dark clumps, and in that space grow specialized bacteria called blue-green algae.

Buried deep within an enterprise, a similar event is taking place. Clumps of ROI and profits are buried beneath layers of processes, poor management decisions and time consuming services. Picture your Department as that bit of thriving algae, locked deep inside the weight of enterprise processes. On the surface, services are rendered, assets are in check and agreements are met. But what happens when performance measurements are antiquated and what appears to be a well-run Department, is actually failing in its alignment with overall business strategy? The department begins to be a cost factor, barely blooming and ultimately gasping for life.