“Well, we run a pretty complicated system, here,” Derrick said. “If I had to design the system, the people system, I would really have to sit down and flow chart it out.”

“Is it all about getting the work done?” I asked.

“No, not really,” Derrick struggled. “It’s not just getting the work done, often it’s the way we get the work done. I need dedicated supervisors to just make sure the work is flowing, that it doesn’t get hung up, and that the work product meets our customers’ specs.”

“Is it just about making sure the work gets done, on time, on spec?”

“No, you can get the work done on time, on spec and still lose a ton of money,” Derrick answered. “We also have to think about efficiency. That is why our systems are so important.”

“So, is it all about getting the work done, on time, on spec in an efficient way, according to a system?” I asked.

“You would think so,” Derrick nodded. “But one thing I have noticed, when we get a system humming, its momentum begins to wreak havoc on another system. Like sales, as soon as we get our sales system humming, our volume picks up and outstrips our capacity to produce. So we ramp up our capacity to produce and that outstrips our raw material flow. There always seems to be this major moving target that throws a monkey wrench into the works.

“All of these decisions are made by people, and they are all interdependent. You are right. The way I create this people system will have a dramatic effect not only on our ability to produce, but it will also impact the individual behavior of the players I have working in the system.

“I am beginning to wonder if many of the problems that I see between people and the problems I observe in performance or underperformance are caused more by the system and less by the people I am blaming things on.”