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Story about head office restructure

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davidstephenson007

The document describes a large, ancient palace that has grown over 350 years through numerous modifications and additions. It has become incredibly complex with many rooms, passages, towers, and dungeons, making it easy to get lost. Over time, different factions have emerged within the palace, each focused on their own interests. Attempts to modernize and restructure the palace have been difficult to manage and faced resistance. While recognizing the need for change, most inhabitants hope to maintain the status quo.

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The Palace Once upon a time not that long ago and not that far away in a huge palace The palace was ancient and large, having had been built up over very many years. The building had experienced numerous modifications during its 350 year history, and often those changes only served to make some walls in the palace incredibly broad and strong. Over the years some of the fittings and d辿cor had become ever more intricate and ornate, with thick layers of paint building up, which in many places entirely concealed the masonry. Inside the palace on many different levels and floors were a multitude of rooms, so many in fact that when counts or audits took place there was a different total each time. and there were many passages and towers. and a few dungeons here and therewhilst some parts of the palace were even strictly no go areas! Often there were so many different passageways that it was easy to get lost especially for those who hadnt been living there so very long and it took an age to get from one part of the palace to another. On occasions one might open a door to find the entrance bricked up or go down a long passage to find it was a dead-end. Many found it difficult to navigate along the corridors and one new resident when asking the way said it sometimes felt like the blind leading the blind. Consequently over time a number of secret routes were created called short cuts to save time, but these were not always widely known or consistently followed. Some parts of the palace had gatekeepers or even guards at their entrance and the folks inside even had different standards, banners and tunics or wore different hats for different occasions. Because it was such a large palace, different factions emerged, with barons being in charge of different sectors or wings of the palace and at times the inhabitants were more focussed on settling their scores with other barons than watching out for their common enemies camped outside the walls. Over the years various rules evolved and in turn it required an army of scribes to maintain this system, which some called a bureaucracy. Some inhabitants learnt that the best or quickest way to get news was to go to the market or the local Inn and listen to the gossip. Sometimes when walls did fall into disrepair the inhabitants didnt always help each other or work together to rebuild them or to maintain them. Consequently the enemy could easily find any weak spots and infiltrate. Another problem was that in many places the palace had been built on shifting sands and so despite the thick walls giving the impression of strength, with subsidence parts of the palace werent really very safe at allthe winds
of change would blow in and the sands and foundations would literally shift and the walls crack. In some places the walls were impregnable, with only small slits to see out from within. If and when people did look out from the battlements they might have seen their enemies, (or competitors) camped and often in Bedouin-like tents of various sizes and styles. If theyd been brave enough to sneak out one night to take a look they might have been surprised how spacious and comfortable these tents actually were on the inside, despite seeming fairly simple from the outside. They carried all they needed with them and so could quickly and easily pack up and move, either from oasis to oasis, wherever the resources or trade was.. or they could still easily ride out a sandstorm or move to the lee of a slope or dune. Some wise men even called them fit for purpose. At dusk people from different tents would gather around fires and recount stories and share information, and so spread learning throughout their tribes. Some in the palace realised they needed to re-build and attempts were made over the years to renovate or even pull down parts of the palace or try coping with fewer, wider, less cluttered passageways. So the King would sometimes make a proclamation that fewer people should live in the palace so that there would be more room or resources available for the remainder. However, most of the barons didnt want their ranks thinned out, but after pressure from the King some did sell off some slaves and there were even some volunteers, who became refugees in other lands, occasionally taking their craft and knowledge with them. Nevertheless few of the barons really did have any appetite or enthusiasm to redecorate let alone drive any major re- build. Consequently and inevitably major re-builds were difficult to manage to time and budget, needed a lot of equipment to do it safely, and usually caused disruption or damage to other parts of the palace. Even when parts of the palace were dismantled there was a tendency for people to gather up the loose rubble or material and start re-building again elsewhere, and in time a few shanty towns even appeared. Occasionally the King or treasurer sent out some patrols or overseers to look for heads to cut or slaves to sell, but some of the barons held back from revealing all their retinues so that they wouldnt be counted in the census. There were some rebuild successes though, especially by some of the barons who actually talked and engaged with their people and in the year of AD 2007 in total some 50 million shekels were saved for the Kings treasury by having 1,100 fewer mouths to feed in the palace. Having fewer mouths to feed did help to some degree especially as there were now less goods coming in from the various trading posts to feed people. however at the same time there were also now fewer troops to go out on forays or to plunder from the enemy and also fewer farmers to plant
and nurture the crops for the remaining inhabitants.so this became a dilemma that some called catch 22. Last year some of the barons in the palace agreed to meet in one of the banquet halls and hold a regular council where they could share intelligence on the enemy and plot tactics together and share resources. This collaborative ploy worked v well for a while and led to some successful raids on enemy lands and resources, and in turn also kept some of the trading routes open that were under threat. And so it was that the commercial council was born. Unfortunately even this fell into disrepute after bickering between the barons. A parchment scroll called the Group Architecture Touchstone Document was written up decreeing how the barons should govern and work together and share both information and resources across the palace and the fiefdoms and lands beyond. For a while the scroll was read and used, but it didnt take long for it to start gathering dust in the archive library room. Overall though, (and coming towards the end of this saga) most people realised that modernisation was required. However, they felt just a little too comfortable with the status quo in the palace and hoped and prayed they would live happily ever after. Epilogue 3 wise men went to see the King and each gave him a piece of advice: The first wise man was also the treasurer and he said to the King I have added up the cost of all these repeated renovations and re-building works and attempts over the many years and the aggregate cost is too much even to count, so my advice is to sort the palace out once and for all, even if it does cost you some rubies and gold and disruption in the short term. I can feel the winds of change getting stronger and any major change will only get more difficult and costly with time. The second wise man was also the medicine man and court jester, and he said to the King the treasurer may be wise and perhaps right, but also remember that this palace that you covet and love is really only bricks and mortar, and its the people that trade goods and people that fight your battles for you, so what makes the most difference are the hearts and minds of your subjects within these walls . Care for them well. The third wise man, who was also the General of the Army said to the King in my experience fighting many battles I have found that my warriors always fight harder when they know they are led well and are fighting for a good cause and in the heat of the battle when my clear Royal banner is unfurled high I know that my men will rally around The END By David Stephenson 2007
Based upon the frustrations and challenges of downsizing the Head Offices at Royal Mail Group, whilst Change Director and Head of OD. The story was used to help lift the veil on was happening.

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Story about head office restructure

  • 1. The Palace Once upon a time not that long ago and not that far away in a huge palace The palace was ancient and large, having had been built up over very many years. The building had experienced numerous modifications during its 350 year history, and often those changes only served to make some walls in the palace incredibly broad and strong. Over the years some of the fittings and d辿cor had become ever more intricate and ornate, with thick layers of paint building up, which in many places entirely concealed the masonry. Inside the palace on many different levels and floors were a multitude of rooms, so many in fact that when counts or audits took place there was a different total each time. and there were many passages and towers. and a few dungeons here and therewhilst some parts of the palace were even strictly no go areas! Often there were so many different passageways that it was easy to get lost especially for those who hadnt been living there so very long and it took an age to get from one part of the palace to another. On occasions one might open a door to find the entrance bricked up or go down a long passage to find it was a dead-end. Many found it difficult to navigate along the corridors and one new resident when asking the way said it sometimes felt like the blind leading the blind. Consequently over time a number of secret routes were created called short cuts to save time, but these were not always widely known or consistently followed. Some parts of the palace had gatekeepers or even guards at their entrance and the folks inside even had different standards, banners and tunics or wore different hats for different occasions. Because it was such a large palace, different factions emerged, with barons being in charge of different sectors or wings of the palace and at times the inhabitants were more focussed on settling their scores with other barons than watching out for their common enemies camped outside the walls. Over the years various rules evolved and in turn it required an army of scribes to maintain this system, which some called a bureaucracy. Some inhabitants learnt that the best or quickest way to get news was to go to the market or the local Inn and listen to the gossip. Sometimes when walls did fall into disrepair the inhabitants didnt always help each other or work together to rebuild them or to maintain them. Consequently the enemy could easily find any weak spots and infiltrate. Another problem was that in many places the palace had been built on shifting sands and so despite the thick walls giving the impression of strength, with subsidence parts of the palace werent really very safe at allthe winds
  • 2. of change would blow in and the sands and foundations would literally shift and the walls crack. In some places the walls were impregnable, with only small slits to see out from within. If and when people did look out from the battlements they might have seen their enemies, (or competitors) camped and often in Bedouin-like tents of various sizes and styles. If theyd been brave enough to sneak out one night to take a look they might have been surprised how spacious and comfortable these tents actually were on the inside, despite seeming fairly simple from the outside. They carried all they needed with them and so could quickly and easily pack up and move, either from oasis to oasis, wherever the resources or trade was.. or they could still easily ride out a sandstorm or move to the lee of a slope or dune. Some wise men even called them fit for purpose. At dusk people from different tents would gather around fires and recount stories and share information, and so spread learning throughout their tribes. Some in the palace realised they needed to re-build and attempts were made over the years to renovate or even pull down parts of the palace or try coping with fewer, wider, less cluttered passageways. So the King would sometimes make a proclamation that fewer people should live in the palace so that there would be more room or resources available for the remainder. However, most of the barons didnt want their ranks thinned out, but after pressure from the King some did sell off some slaves and there were even some volunteers, who became refugees in other lands, occasionally taking their craft and knowledge with them. Nevertheless few of the barons really did have any appetite or enthusiasm to redecorate let alone drive any major re- build. Consequently and inevitably major re-builds were difficult to manage to time and budget, needed a lot of equipment to do it safely, and usually caused disruption or damage to other parts of the palace. Even when parts of the palace were dismantled there was a tendency for people to gather up the loose rubble or material and start re-building again elsewhere, and in time a few shanty towns even appeared. Occasionally the King or treasurer sent out some patrols or overseers to look for heads to cut or slaves to sell, but some of the barons held back from revealing all their retinues so that they wouldnt be counted in the census. There were some rebuild successes though, especially by some of the barons who actually talked and engaged with their people and in the year of AD 2007 in total some 50 million shekels were saved for the Kings treasury by having 1,100 fewer mouths to feed in the palace. Having fewer mouths to feed did help to some degree especially as there were now less goods coming in from the various trading posts to feed people. however at the same time there were also now fewer troops to go out on forays or to plunder from the enemy and also fewer farmers to plant
  • 3. and nurture the crops for the remaining inhabitants.so this became a dilemma that some called catch 22. Last year some of the barons in the palace agreed to meet in one of the banquet halls and hold a regular council where they could share intelligence on the enemy and plot tactics together and share resources. This collaborative ploy worked v well for a while and led to some successful raids on enemy lands and resources, and in turn also kept some of the trading routes open that were under threat. And so it was that the commercial council was born. Unfortunately even this fell into disrepute after bickering between the barons. A parchment scroll called the Group Architecture Touchstone Document was written up decreeing how the barons should govern and work together and share both information and resources across the palace and the fiefdoms and lands beyond. For a while the scroll was read and used, but it didnt take long for it to start gathering dust in the archive library room. Overall though, (and coming towards the end of this saga) most people realised that modernisation was required. However, they felt just a little too comfortable with the status quo in the palace and hoped and prayed they would live happily ever after. Epilogue 3 wise men went to see the King and each gave him a piece of advice: The first wise man was also the treasurer and he said to the King I have added up the cost of all these repeated renovations and re-building works and attempts over the many years and the aggregate cost is too much even to count, so my advice is to sort the palace out once and for all, even if it does cost you some rubies and gold and disruption in the short term. I can feel the winds of change getting stronger and any major change will only get more difficult and costly with time. The second wise man was also the medicine man and court jester, and he said to the King the treasurer may be wise and perhaps right, but also remember that this palace that you covet and love is really only bricks and mortar, and its the people that trade goods and people that fight your battles for you, so what makes the most difference are the hearts and minds of your subjects within these walls . Care for them well. The third wise man, who was also the General of the Army said to the King in my experience fighting many battles I have found that my warriors always fight harder when they know they are led well and are fighting for a good cause and in the heat of the battle when my clear Royal banner is unfurled high I know that my men will rally around The END By David Stephenson 2007
  • 4. Based upon the frustrations and challenges of downsizing the Head Offices at Royal Mail Group, whilst Change Director and Head of OD. The story was used to help lift the veil on was happening.