Friday Reality Check: What Actually Runs Your Organisation
Most IT organisations believe strategy runs the company.
In practice, behaviour under pressure does.
Friday often marks the moment when organisations slow their pace.
Weekly wrap-ups appear. Retrospectives surface. Reflection suddenly feels acceptable.
It also happens to be the best moment for clarity.
Noise drops. Defences soften. Reality becomes easier to see.
Here is the reality check.
Most organisations do not operate according to strategy.
They operate according to what survives friction.
Strategy Signals Intent. Behaviour Reveals Truth.
Every organisation carries intent.
Mission statements promise focus.
Roadmaps promise coherence.
Values promise ownership, autonomy, and speed.
Then Monday arrives ...
What actually drives the system rarely matches the declared intent. Repeated behaviour under pressure takes control:
- Who decides when time compresses
- What escalates instead of getting owned
- What stalls in the name of alignment
- What continues even after priorities shift
That pattern defines the operating system. Not the slides. When stated strategy and default behaviour diverge, behaviour wins without effort.
What Persists Defines the System
IT Organisations often believe they choose what they optimise. In practice, systems drift toward what receives reward, tolerance, or silence. Common contradictions appear everywhere:
- Ownership promoted, approval chains reinforced
- Speed praised, mistakes punished with process
- Focus declared, every request labelled strategic
- Autonomy announced, trust reset at each incident
These dynamics emerge from systems seeking stability and risk reduction.
Reality check:
If a behaviour persists despite contradicting stated principles, it functions as the real principle.
Meetings Reflect Avoidance
Meetings attract blame. Too many. Too long. Too crowded. Meetings merely expose deeper conditions. They multiply when:
- Accountability lacks clarity
- Decisions feel risky and ownership stays diffused
- Alignment replaces trust
When ten people attend a decision meeting, one accountable owner probably should have existed much earlier.
Friday insight:
Meeting volume often mirrors discomfort with individual responsibility.
Activity Masks Stagnation
Motion looks productive.
Calendars fill. Dashboards glow. Updates circulate.
Activity costs little.
Progress leaves a different trace:
- Dependencies shrink
- Ownership sharpens
- Feedback loops shorten
- Decisions reduce future work
When complexity never decreases, compensation replaces progress.
Reality check:
Energy consumption without compounding output signals systemic waste.
Culture Appears When Observation Stops
Culture rarely lives in value statements.
It surfaces in default behaviour without supervision.
Watch what happens outside meetings:
- Decisions delayed to preserve safety
- Escalations used to avoid responsibility
- Optics prioritised over outcomes
- Territories protected instead of flow
Such behaviour reflects rational adaptation to incentives embedded in the system.
Friday question worth asking:
What behaviour does the organisation quietly reward?
Acceptance Restores Leverage
None of these patterns surprise experienced leaders.
Most already recognise where friction accumulates.
Difficulty appears elsewhere.
Changing language feels easier than adjusting incentives.
Declaring intent feels easier than redesigning structures.
Requesting alignment feels easier than assigning ownership.
Reality checks hurt because they dismantle comforting narratives.
They also restore leverage.
Once the real operating system becomes visible, effort can target the right layer instead of repainting the surface.
A Friday Test
Before closing the week, pause and ask:
- Which decisions actually moved?
- Where did work slow, and for what reason?
- Which behaviours repeated under pressure?
Ignore what appeared on slides.
Ignore what received applause.
Observe what happened.
That response comes from the system itself.
Listen carefully.
It will still speak on Monday.
Member discussion