HAT: Slang for the title and work of a post in an org. Taken from the fact that in many professions such as railroading the type of hat worn is the badge of the job.
Organization consists of certain people doing certain jobs.
Disorganization consists of each person wearing all hats regardless of assignment.
In a smooth organization that runs well and succeeds EACH PERSON WEARS HIS OWN ASSIGNED HAT.
When a person has a job that belongs to another hat than his own, he passes the job to the other hat.
Each staff member is a specialist. He specializes in his own hat.
When people wear only their own hats then one has terminals in the org. If terminals exist then communication can flow correctly. If communication can flow correctly then work gets done and the org can get in income.
TERMINAL — a point that receives, relays and sends communication.
If people present each wear any old hat or all the hats, then no terminals exist, no communication can flow properly, work can’t get done and there is no income. There is chaos and it is an unhappy place.
In a green org staff members don’t know what other staff members do. So they don’t know where to send things so they do them themselves. Worse, they don’t even know there is an org there. It is quite pathetic. Like rookie troops or militia or a mob. Of course the place goes broke.
You can tell a good executive. He only hands out despatches and work to the correct hats. A lousy executive hands the work to anyone handy, regardless of title. He’s in apathy and doesn’t know there’s an org there.
The whole theory of successful organization is to have posts that only do specific things, to have sections and departments and divisions which specialize, and to have people who only wear their own hats and know who is wearing the other hats and send their work to them.
A train crew has a Conductor. He wears a Conductor’s hat. It has an engineer. He wears the engineer’s hat. It has a fireman. He wears the fireman’s hat. Where do you think the train would get to if each of these three didn’t know who were the other two? The Conductor wearing the engineer’s hat would mean no fares. The fireman wearing the Conductor’s hat would mean no steam. And the engineer wearing the Conductor’s hat would mean no train going anywhere.
So beware of wearing other hats than your own, or of being ignorant of what other hats are being worn. For nobody will get anywhere and you’ll find yourself overworked, dismayed and unhappy.
Each person to his own job and damn the fellow who tries to give you things which aren’t your hat and doesn’t know there’s an org there.
Realize that the basic theory of organization is this:
1. SO LONG AS EACH KNOWS AND WEARS AND WORKS AT HIS OWN HAT ONLY, THINGS WILL BE SMOOTH.
2. AND SO LONG AS EACH PERSON KNOWS WHAT THE OTHER HATS AROUND HIM DO, HE CAN GIVE THEM THEIR WORK WHEN IT COMES HIS WAY AND ALL WILL BE SUCCESSFUL AND SMOOTH.
If you let somebody steal your hat (do your work for you that you are supposed to do) that person will soon have you in trouble or have your job so snarled it can’t be done.
If you don’t know who in the org is supposed to do what and make them do their own jobs when those drift your way, you’ll be overworked like mad.
If somebody tries to get you to do something that isn’t your job on the org board then FILE AN ETHICS CHIT FOR JOB ENDANGERMENT. For at the very least that person is reducing income by not knowing the lines and posts of the org.
When you are assigned an additional duty, make sure it is also properly in your department or division or you’ll be messed up.
Don’t permit people to mess up hats around you or you will be in chaos.
Only organization can make your job smooth. And wearing your hat and doing your own job and knowing and making other people wear only theirs and do their own job, is the total secret of organization.