From busyness to value creation

An article about when the organization itself creates headwind

We work hard.
We are busy.
But are we really moving forward?

In many organizations, our days are filled with meetings, tasks and, at best, decisions.
Despite constant activity, many feel they are not truly progressing, at least not with the speed or focus required to stay competitive.

Much of our time is spent managing “things” we feel obligated to prioritize, even though we know, deep down, they don’t contribute to the value we aim to create.

It can feel like we’re working against the wind.
Every step forward requires effort.
Every improvement must be fought for.

So where does all this busyness come from?
And what are the consequences?

Organizational headwind

What’s hiding behind all the busyness?

Many organizations are still shaped by structures and processes built for a different time.
We get stuck in legacy reporting flows, project models with fixed requirements or siloed setups where each unit optimizes for itself.

What once created clarity now creates friction.
What once created order now creates detours.
And without a conscious, systemic improvement effort, we risk getting trapped in activity that no longer leads anywhere, but still consumes all our time and energy.

When old and new ways of working collide

Many organizations are trying to become more customer-oriented, cross-functional and fast-moving.
But these ambitions often collide with the very system they live within.

We try to work in new ways but are expected to deliver in the old.
The result is a quiet battle between conflicting logics, a dual operating system that pulls employees in different directions.

We collaborate in new teams, but are measured by old KPIs.
We talk about value, but are asked to report on activity and cost.
We want to be agile and adaptive, but are still locked in annual plans, fixed funding models and long decision chains.

The consequence?
Even more activity, but not necessarily better results.

For new ways to truly take hold and reduce busyness, rather than increase it, the old ways can’t just be supplemented. They need to be gradually dismantled.

As long as the old system remains, in processes, decision paths, hierarchies and reward structures, it will continue to govern in practice. Not because it’s better, but because it still defines how things are done. It’s embedded in management systems, tied to resources and familiar to people who have learned to navigate it to succeed in their daily work.

That’s why the dual operating system must be replaced by a unified one. Otherwise, every new way will be forced to push against the current and the busyness will keep growing.

Start with value, then build the system around it

To create real, lasting change, we need to flip the script:
Don’t start with  structure. Not with process. Not even with teams.

Start with value.
What do we want to create? For whom? Why?

When that’s clear, we can design an architecture, processes and an organization where roles, decision-making, collaboration and structure align to support it.
Where coordination isn’t imposed, but emerges naturally from shared direction and purpose.
Where people no longer have to fight the system to do what matters.

From headwind to tailwind

When we organize around real value flows, from customer need to delivery, things begin to align.

Processes, systems and decision paths start supporting what we actually want to achieve.
The organization begins to move in one direction.
We no longer have to work against the structure.

That’s when the headwind turns.
That’s when friction becomes flow.
That’s when energy is no longer drained, but released.

Together, we can move from busyness to progress.
From activity to value.
From exhaustion to momentum.

Do you recognize this kind of busyness? What does it look like in your organization?
I’d love to hear your thoughts.