Creating Structure in an Unstructured World

 

As part of the “Beyond Professionalism” series, today we take a look at the concept of structure in the workplace. What is the significance of “structure” for us as human beings and why should we be pushing for more of it? How do you go about defining structure from chaos? Read on to find out more…

Our lives are not predetermined – or at least, most of us would probably like to think so. The thought of living out a life that was preordained by some higher power, our bodies simply that of a puppet in some elaborate, cosmic play doesn’t tend to appeal to many. Whilst it might not be possible to easily prove that such a thing as free-will exists, the deterministic nature of the laws of physics keeping us so tightly constrained to events that have happened before, most of us still feel like we do. Which, at least for now, is certainly good enough for me.

That being said, none of us likes to live completely without some form of structure. Our days are of fixed lengths. Our years, dependable, repeatable. We even have cultural calendars, fixed points of celebration and commemoration that structure the passage of time. Without these measures we feel unanchored, unable to properly grasp the unrelenting motions of the universe, lost in a void of unstructured chaos. Generations of societal living has taught us the importance of building this structure into our unstructured world.

The same could be said of many things in life. Without structure in school for example, we would struggle to understand the point of it. Why study this now and not then? Why even study at all? The fixed and universal understanding of the schooling structure provides us all with a common framework in which to operate and navigate a way through it. It provides us with that all important sense of forward progression. There are clearly defined criteria and we can orient ourselves towards them like a north star for finding the way home.

Really, structure provides us with meaning. Meaning provides us with motivation and motivation results in action towards fulfilment. So it is important for us to recognize when we don’t have enough of it. There are many parts of our society that lack the necessary levels of structure for us to be successful in them. Many workplaces don’t make it clear to us as employees how they should themselves be navigated. Without clearly defined structures, we can all pull in very different directions causing the whole to remain inert.

It is therefore very important for businesses and organisations to keep this principle in mind when they are thinking about the ways they can be successful. People are used to structure in their lives and don’t respond well when it isn’t given to them – particularly if it is missing in the thing they spend the most amount of their time doing. 

What can we do about it?

Having a clearly defined calendar of events for your organisation is a great way to keep people grounded. Orient them towards the next big milestone and make sure to give them something to look forward to. Keep in mind the wider cultural calendar and build in events around this to help integrate your organisation into peoples’ lives. Make sure to be sensitive to things that impact on the mental state of your people, like starting the new year and try to capitalize on broader societal sentiments.

As well as calendars, it’s great to have clear internal structures. Well defined roles. Divisions of responsibilities. Progression paths. When people understand how your organisation works, they can provide the most value to it. As an individual as well, try to build some structure into your work and your day. Of course, we all need different levels of flexibility, but having something to repeat, refine and improve really enables a sense of progression and fulfilment.

You might be surprised at what you can achieve with just a little more structure in your life.