Honouring 'Grunt' Work

Background

‘Grunt work’ is an expression that is used to refer to jobs that lack glamour and prestige or are boring and repetitive. Typical examples of such jobs include the day-to-day operational activities carried out by the various functions within an organization such as Finance, Production, Warehousing, IT, Customer Service etc. Come to think of it, the sheer volume of such operational activities as measured in man-hours easily eclipses the volume of activities at the other end of the spectrum i.e. activities which are strategic in nature. Examples of such strategic activities include (i) setting goals for the organization and its individual constituents; (ii) deliberating upon matters and taking decisions that have far reaching consequences for the organization and its stakeholders; (iii) performing activities that require each and every time an exercise of judgement in addition to subject matter expertise etc.

The problem

Yet, the significance of grunt work’s contribution towards the achievement of an organization’s objectives is not as widely appreciated as it should be. There seems to be a negative connotation attached to this expression, probably because (i) these operational activities are somehow perceived as being subservient to the ‘strategic’ activities or (ii) as a bitter pill that is necessary to swallow in order to progress in one’s career path (typically seen as culminating in a role that has a higher percentage of ‘strategic’ activities vis-à-vis the operational ones).

My take on this topic

This write-up aims to plug this perception gap by elaborating on two key reasons why operational activities need to be considered as equal partners to the strategic ones in any organization.

Firstly, without proper execution, the best laid plans end up being just that – plans without having anything to show for them on the ground. Operational activities act as a bridge between the organization’s strategic intentions and actual results. It is therefore imperative that all strategic pursuits are backed by an effective operational plan that is executed efficiently. This requires foremost an acknowledgment of the critical and indispensable role that operational activities play in an organization’s success.

Secondly, most of the organizations are pyramid shaped when it comes to power, authority & responsibility dispensation i.e. a sizeable workforce (base of the pyramid) is engaged in operational activities while the strategic activities are concentrated in the hands of a few (portion near the top of the pyramid). It is therefore important, nay essential for an organization’s survival as well as growth, that this sizeable workforce stays motivated to continually deliver at the levels expected of them. Periodically recognizing and appreciating their efforts as well as reaffirming to them on how their activities fit into the larger scheme of things, act as strong motivators for them to stay focused and strive towards continuous improvement.

Epilogue

Attempting to rank ‘strategic’ activities vis-à-vis the ‘operational’ ones (‘grunt work’) is a pointless exercise. Both are different in nature, with varying roles to play and yet equally important for every organization.

I would love to hear from you – both in the event of you agreeing or disagreeing with the above!