 Motorola DROID and DROID II 1300mah Standard Battery List Price: Sale Price: $1.99  Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days See Reviews For This Product  |
 MOTOROLA OEM BR50 RAZR V3 V3a V3c V3g V3i V3m BATTERY List Price: Sale Price: $0.93 Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days See Reviews For This Product |
 Apple iPhone 3G 3Gs 8GB 16GB 32GB Textured Silicone Skin Case Cover + Free Screen Protector, Black, One Size Sale Price: $0.01 Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days See Reviews For This Product |
 Unlocked Samsung S5570 Galaxy Mini Touchscreen, Wi-Fi, 3G, Android International Smart Phone in Steel Gray Sale Price: $149.99 Eligible for free shipping!See Reviews For This Product |
 Chinese Fashion Hard Back Case Cover for Apple iPhone 4 4G 4S Plum flower Sale Price: $4.80 Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days See Reviews For This Product |
 Samsung Star GT-S5230 Unlocked Phone with Full Touchscreen Quad-Band GSM Bluetooth, 3.2 MP Camera, Voice Record, MP3 and MP4 Speaker Phone--U.S. Version with 1 Year Warranty (Black) List Price: Sale Price: $85.00 Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product |
 Chinese Fashion Hard Back Case Cover for Apple iPhone 4 4G 4S Nar QHcissus Sale Price: $7.98 Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product |
 BLACKBERRY CURVE 8520 Full housing + Replacement tool Sale Price: $9.58 Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days See Reviews For This Product |
 Nokia C2-01.5 Unlocked GSM Phone with 3.2 MP Camera and Music and Video Player--U.S. Version with Warranty (Black) List Price: Sale Price: $79.99 Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product |
 Samsung S5620 Monte Unlocked Quad-Band GSM Phone with 3 MP Camera, Wi-Fi, gps navigation, E-Mail, Stereo Bluetooth--International Version With Warranty (Black) List Price: Sale Price: $117.54 Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product |
Chinese Fire Drills
Years ago, teenagers used to conduct what was called "Chinese Fire Drills." Basically, they would load up a car with as many kids as possible. When they pulled up at a red traffic light, the driver would put the car in park and yell, "Chinese Fire Drill," whereby everyone got out of the car, then would run around it shouting, before the light turned green and then piled back in. To neighboring motorists, it would be very distracting yet amusing. I don't think they practice "Chinese Fire Drills" anymore but it is a phrase that has come to mean helter-skelter in the workplace.
I'm sure we have all had days where we felt we've been in a "Chinese Fire Drill," where we are inundated with interferences which kept us from getting our work done. I experienced one recently myself and boy did I find it irritating. Instead of concentrating on my work, I was interrupted by an inordinate number of telephone calls and e-mails. But to top it off, my wife called to tell me our water heater was broken and water was spewing out in our garage. I then had to call a plumber who I had to meet at my house to replace the water heater. In other words, I didn't accomplish much that day.
I guess having a "Chinese Fire Drill" is to be expected now and then but I have also seen companies who seem to live in a perpetual state of "Chinese Fire Drills," where constant interruptions are the norm as opposed to the exception. Interestingly, I find the managers of such shops are typically oblivious to the problem and think everything is normal. As creatures of habit, I tend to believe we become conditioned by our work environment. What appears to be chaos to one person, may seem perfectly normal to another. Some people appear to thrive in an environment of "Chinese Fire Drills," others can't take the pressure and eventually bail out. However, I would wager you there is a correlation between the level of chaos to resignations, tardiness, and absenteeism.
It is the manager's job to control the work environment. I'm not suggesting micromanagement but, instead, to implement some simple controls over the distractions which keep workers from performing their jobs, such as minimizing personal telephone calls, breaks, or inconsequential meetings and discussions. There is a human inclination to be distracted even by simple things, such as an occasional e-mail or text message. These little distractions add up quickly during the work day and unless someone takes action to curb them, they can become rather costly to a company and leads to project delays. When a manager does exercise his/her authority and implements such controls they are sometimes regarded as an ogre. Well, not really; they're doing what they are paid to do which is to get people to work on the right assignments, and one way of doing this is simply by controlling the work environment.
I loathe "Chinese Fire Drills" but recognize they are inevitable now and then. However, I can't imagine working in a chaotic environment on a regular basis and probably most employees cannot either. It is up to the manager to put his/her foot down and bring order out of the chaos. If the truth were known, I think most workers are looking for managers to lead them towards stability, not "Chinese Fire Drills."
About the Author
Tim Bryce is a writer and management consultant located in Palm Harbor, Florida.
You can find his work on the Internet at:
http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm
He can be contacted at: timb001@phmainstreet.com
Copyright © 2007 Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.
Filed under Telephone Systems by on Aug 14th, 2011. 