Jason Thistlethwaite
1.3 KiB
Work we expect to be done, but nobody is clear on when, why, or who is doing it.
Narrative example
Tom and Jerry talked about how much they like pizza for an hour or so, but didn’t make any plans to get pizza.
Later, Jerry goes grocery shopping without buying any pizza. Tom is surprised Jerry didn’t buy any frozen pizza.
Neither person actually asked or agreed to buy frozen pizza, but Tom expected Jerry would buy pizza because they talked about it for a long time.
Common causes
1) Acting or relying on assumptions
We assume someone else “has common sense” or will take a “reasonable action” based on our own ideas of what’s reasonable or normal, which they may not share or understand.
2) Lack of rapport
We haven’t worked together for very long, so we don’t communicate very well. We haven't yet gotten a feel for what's normal or how to communicate with each other.
3) Lack of initiative or clear triggers
We are expecting to be told what to do, so we aren’t taking initiative to find and solve problems on our own. It might also be a person doesn't understand they're supposed to react to a certain situation without being told each time.
4) Slacking off by pretending we don't understand
Someone is slacking off or avoiding work by pretending they don't understand what's expected from them.