In turbulent times, people matter

As the current economic downturn unfolds, it is easy to focus only on short-term implications, but in so doing you could make decisions that could cripple your organisation in the long term, warns Graeme Codrington.

Crisis times can breed panic mindsets. In particular, companies are in danger of being short-sighted about how they manage their people during the downturn, responding with actions such as across-the-board staff reductions, staff development freezes, cancelling conferences and international team meetings, as well as managers demanding more from already stressed staff, while offering less reward and no security.

These are just some possible responses. Some are reasonable and reasoned. Most are not – they are reactions to crisis. The danger is that when trying to 'cut out the fat', it is very easy for the scalpel to cut away some muscle, too.