QUICK THINKING-SITTING DUCKS According to Bart Perkins of Computerworld, "Every Unfortunately, many ducks are not interested in organization has some "ducks.' Ducks are employees change, and keeping them around can demotivate other who have a detrimental effect on productivity. Their employees. For example, high performers may become work is consistently substandard, they rarely meet dead- demoralized if their pay raises are only slightly higher lines, and their skills are out of date. They hate change, than a nonperformer. It's important to keep in mind that resist taking responsibility and blame their failures on employees pay more attention to what leaders do than to their co-workers. They constantly complain about their what they say. Too often organizational policies or cul- projects, their teammates, their workloads, and their ture makes it difficult to get rid of the ducks. managers. They stifle innovation by shooting down new A large organization hired a CIO with a mandate to proposals, claiming that changes 'just can't be done."" improve IT services across the business units. He soon A "duck" can be brought into an organization in any learned that there were many ducks among his staff. He number of ways. Ducks can be hired in, or they can be needed to change the IT unit, but corporate policy made it acquired through mergers or acquisitions. It would make difficult just to fire these nonperformers. With the knowl- sense to limit the number of ducks in an organization by edge and understanding of the executive team, the CIO firing them, helping them gain new skills, by providing created a "duck pond" that was a special, low-priority counseling, or by transferring them to a job that better project that included all of the nonperforming employ- meets their skills and experience. ees. Once the ducks were herded together, the project was cancelled and the nonperforming employees were let go. SOURCES: Perkins, B. "IT Full of "Ducks"? Declare Open Season." Computerworld. April 28, 2008. Kendrick, T. "Bad Attitudes." Projectsofwork. April 13, 201 1. Miller, J. and B. Bedford. "As Above, So Below." Projectsat- work. December 13. 2013