Mighty Ritey Termite Colony (MRTC) was an edifice of an enterprise. In multiple huge mounds termite workers toiled around the clock for the prosperity of their enterprise. For the benefit of the ruling caste key workers interpreted policy and drove operations across infrastructure, food, logistics, defense/competition, and sustainability.
A huge shock and catastrophe damaged the enterprise. Outside predators had ripped, chewed, shredded, and consumed large portions of the enterprise infrastructure, customers, and talent. Surviving ruling caste key workers met in crisis mode to plan recovery, implement resillience actions, and work for sustainability.
Defense had been shattered. New Defense head BigBody demanded new resources, new construction, and new authority to protect MRTC.
“Without Defense we wouldn’t be here now. Give me what I need and we’ll survive the next predation.”
BigBrain, in charge of recovery and resilience, put priorities in perspective.
“We must reduce our overhead throughout the mound to have resources to rebuild. Everything not immediately necessary to rebuild must be reduced by 20-30%! Even more changes may be needed to sustain MTRC for the future.”
FoodProcessor, responsible for production, was defensive.
“We have to maintain our production capacity and know-how or we won’t be able to feed what we rebuild before a future.”
And so the discussion became heated as the night wore on. Wearily at dawn, a decision was made by the QueensRepresentative.
“We will reduce all other groups 10-15% to divert resources to Defense. Defense must secure our ground for 30 days while Construction and Operations rebuild infrastructure. Production must provide a surge of food and materials to enable this effort. New actions for sustainability will be planned and action started in parallel.”
Within a day, deep in dark recesses of the MTRC mound PaleFlesh, a young termite worker, conversed with a old wise production worker.
“They are sending you, an oldster, to work the rebuild? Why, you are feeble compared to me and won’t last a week at the front of a Construction group.”
WrinkledOne, the old wizened one was sanguine.
“You are younger and cheaper measured by consumption of food. The fungus is among us and will sustain the mound for resilience as already planned. If things are quick, then I may even survive to return one day next week.”
The next day PaleFlesh received a new directive from BigBrain’s Office thru FoodProcessor.
“All fungus food will transition immediately to new sustainable flavors. This is the highest priority effort.”
PaleFlesh was shocked. Transitions were usually planned meticulously for months as many steps in the conversion of fodder to food were affected. The new “sustainable flavors” had been in research for years without much approval during testing by consuming workers.
When PaleFlesh’s questions were received by FoodProcessor’s Work Management group a specific directive came back.
“Immediate transition is ASAP as ordered by BigBrain. Fodder conversion will shift over immediately as early stages can use new sustainable flavors. Production of new flavors will commence immediately and research workers are assigned to perform new flavor production tasks until rebulding is complete.”
PaleFlesh could translate who’s order this really was and went to make the transitions. WrinkledOne had talked about how to gently introduce changes without wooing FoodProcessor to that decision. In two days the fungus production line was transformed and new sustainable flavored food distributed.
In another two days later troubles were heard.
BigBrain approached BigBrain and the QueensRepresentative timidly with news.
“I have good news and more information. The Defense and Construction Brigades have begun receiving the new sustainable flavored food distributions. As predicted consumption has decreased to computed healthier levels compared to food consumed before the new flavors. Defense readiness has fallen 30% and Construction monitoring reports that the schedule to rebuild has lengthened 15%.”
The QueensRepresentative was imperiously furious. A day of bad meals hadn’t helped.
“Tell them heads will roll if readiness and schedule aren’t restored! Find and fix the problem! If you can’t your successor will.”
BigBrain immediately went into a full contact session with FoodProcessor.
“This can’t be a coincidence. I can’t believe that improvements in healthy food consumption is linked to problems! I’m told that the workers aren’t getting as much done and are grumbling.”
FoodProcessor wiggled and then diffidently answered.
“Workers don’t like the healthier flavors. I was warned of this by one of my workers now sent to Construction. Have you tried the newest flavors?”
BigBrain saw the opportunity to blame someone else.
“Well! Get them back and you fix the problems. It’ll be our heads if you don’t!”
PaleFlesh was never so glad to see WrinkledOne.
“It will be my head, and FoodProcessors too, if you can’t help us fix this.”
WrinkledOne was emaciated and weary, and had only returned with many promises never to send him to construction again. Companions hadn’t been so lucky.
“It’s not complicated. We’ll just have to make flavors more like the old ones then make changes gradually. Our initial gains will be smaller and BigBrain’s longer term sustainability objectives will be reached only with more time.”
After another week, a vigorous WrinkledOne was summoned in front of FoodProcessor.
“You have saved our heads. No one else could have done this. What should we do?”
WrinkledOne responded quietly.
“Please listen to us workers when we tell you what’s needed to make transitions. All the problems could have been avoided if I had still been around Production. We changed the flavors most of the way back and will gradually change further over time.”
Three weeks after WrinkledOne returned the QueensRepresentative conversed with BigBrain from Sustainabity, BigBody fromDefense, and FoodProcessor from Production.
BigBody started triumphant.
“Our defenses are back to a minimal level. The MRTC will survive another attack if one happens soon.”
BigBrain continued.
“Our food is healthier and widely consumed.”
FoodProcessor provided a quiet conclusion.
“Food and material production is below our high end hopes while meeting immediate needs.”
The QueensRepresentative asked a quiet question.
“And what have the last few weeks taught us?”
BigBody glanced at BigBrain and continued.
“All parts of MTRC must work effectively to get to our objectives. The rapid adjustments by FoodProcessor got my teams back on productivity after a slow start.”
BigBrain glared first, and then softened.
“Changes work best when all voices are accounted for and the changes are loved by all.”
FoodProcessor dipped towards colleagues and spoke obliquely.
“Listening to quiet voices is hard. Learning to love is harder than learning to command change.”
The QueensRepresentative had lost appetite and weight, and now, quietly, consumed the new food flavors on the meeting table.
“We were lucky that MTRC was resilient to survive the predators. We can move forward together as we have learned again that we can issue commands while only the workers can move a Colony like MTRC. We must love a future to sustain to it.”
The moral of our story: Production Changes to sustain a future are a false economy without the proper talent, expertise, and effectiveness to be resilient in the present.
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