Organizational Attention Deficit Disorder (OADD) occurs when an organization is unable to focus on critical priorities, taking on too many projects at once. Symptoms include uncertainty about direction, too much simultaneous change, and disconnected initiatives. Research shows these factors lead to employee frustration and uncertainty that slows productivity. Managing OADD requires leaders to clearly identify top priorities, understand employee capacity and workload, and manage expectations from upper management to prevent overload and maintain focus.

1. *
Organizational Attention Deficit Disorder
*
Dr. Jim Bohn
Pro/Axios
Minneapolis, MN

2. *Organizational Attention Deficit
Disorder is an organization‟s inability to
focus on the critical few, accepting any
and all projects as worthy of priority #1
effort, resulting in employee burnout
and organizational ineffectiveness.
*

3. Attention is a cognitive process
with a cost:
When we pay attention:
*We initiate (direct our attention to where it is
needed);

4. Attention is a cognitive process
with a cost:
When we pay attention:
*We initiate (direct our attention to where it is
needed);
*We sustain (pay attention for as long as needed);

5. Attention is a cognitive process
with a cost:
When we pay attention:
*We initiate (direct our attention to where it is
needed);
*We sustain (pay attention for as long as needed);
*We inhibit (avoid focusing on something that
removes our attention from where it needs to be);

6. Attention is a cognitive process
with a cost:
When we pay attention:
*We initiate (direct our attention to where it is
needed);
*We sustain (pay attention for as long as needed);
*We inhibit (avoid focusing on something that
removes our attention from where it needs to be);
*We shift (move our attention to other things as
needed).

7. Attention is a cognitive process.
When we pay attention:
*We initiate (direct our attention to where it is
needed);
Where would you
*We sustain (pay attention for as long as needed);
say organizations
spend most of
*We inhibit (avoid focusingtheir cognitive
on something that
removes our attention from where it needs to be);
energy???
*We shift (move our attention to other things as
needed).

8. What are the symptoms of attention deficit
disorder?
*“The core symptoms of AD/HD are
developmentally inappropriate
levels of inattention, hyperactivity,
and impulsivity.”
*By analogy, it is reasonable to
apply the concept to an
organization.

9. *Inability to concentrate …
*Loss of focus …
*Distraction …
*The symptoms of OADD

10. Some exploratory data
Research conducted by Pro/Axios, December 2013 – 35 respondents
“What are the greatest challenges facing your organization today?”
Too many disconnected initiatives
Too much change going on at the same time
Uncertainty about organizational direction
People not working together
You are ineffective in your communication style
Other leaders are ineffective when communicating
Frustrated employees want to give up
People not pulling their weight
Employee uncertainty slows productivity
Initiatives with no possibility of success
Scale: 10 – Deeply Concerned to 1- Not at All Concerned
6.29
6.22
6.22
6.09
5.38
6.00
5.74
4.96
6.03
5.38

11. *Too many disconnected organizational
initiatives
*Uncertainty about organizational
direction
*Too much change happening at one time
*Top Three Sources of
OADD
Based on research conducted by Pro/Axios

12. *Ineffective analysis prevents good
upfront decision-making.
*Shiny bright objects distract leaders.
*Non-stop treadmill executive meeting
cycles minimize concentration and
focus.
*
Why
is this happening?

13. *IMPULSIVITY: Executives may have a false sense of
how much time it takes to get the work
done, making everything priority #1.
*HYPER-ACTIVITY: Executives perceive the „memo‟ is
enough to communicate expectations.
*HYPER-FOCUS: Siloing causes excessive
uncoordinated project activity.
*HYPER-FOCUS: There are few generalists who
understand the many components of organizational
work. Specialists cannot see the big picture.
*

14. *Uncoordinated activities from
multiple directions
*Confusion about decisions
*Everything is priority #1
*Here’s what OADD
looks like at the
employee level!

15. *Uncertainty about organizational
direction causes:
*Employee anxiety,
*Employee concern,
*Wait-and-see attitudes,
*Social loafing.
*The Impact of OADD

16. Initial Research Findings – Pro/Axios
*.79 correlation - Uncertainty about
organizational direction and Uncertainty
slows productivity.
*.72 correlation - Uncertainty at line level
and Employees frustrated and giving up.
*

17. Initial Research Findings – Pro/Axios
*.76 correlation – Uncertainty at the line
level and Leader Communication
Ineffectiveness.
*
If you’re not clear, they’re
not clear.

18. *Incomplete projects
*Halted growth
*Inefficiencies
*Employee Frustration
*Loss of market share
*The Outcomes of OADD

19. *“A primary task of leadership is to
direct attention. To do so, leaders
must learn to focus their own
attention. When we speak about
being focused, we commonly mean
thinking about one thing while
filtering out distractions.”
*

20. 1. The best leaders truly understand
critical organizational priorities.
2. The best leaders understand the
capacity of their people.
3. The best leaders understand the true
workload of their team.
4. The best leaders manage upwardly to
prevent overload and maintain focus.
*What the best leaders do
to manage OADD.

21. *The best leaders truly understand
critical organizational priorities,
thus eliminating other options.
#1
PRIORITIES
#2
#3
#4
*Managing OADD.

22. *The best leaders understand the
capacity of their people.
#1
CAPACITY
#2
#3
#4
*
*Managing OADD.

23. *The best leaders understand the
true workload of their team.
#1
WORKLOAD
#2
#3
#4
*
*Managing OADD.

24. *The best leaders manage
upwardly to prevent overload and
maintain focus.
*
WORKLOAD
#1
#2
#3
#4
*Managing OADD.

25. *Organizational Attention Deficit
Disorder is an organization‟s inability to
focus on the critical few, accepting any
and all projects as worthy of priority #1
effort, resulting in employee burnout
and organizational ineffectiveness.
*

26. *We offer plainspoken guidance for those who
do the work.
*Check out the Rapid Diagnostic @
www.ProAxios.com
*info@proaxios.com
*651-302-1574
*Minneapolis, MN, USA
*Pro/Axios
Organizational Insight Leading to Organizational Transformation
1/3/2014