It’s a strategy for corporate or organisational survival…
“Getting the issue off my desk” (and onto someone else’s).
I think we all do this, one way or another—in our personal lives too. It’s one way of coping with the volume of communication we have to deal with. We process our “stack” and bat the issue onwards, or maybe sideways.
And it kind of works, at a sub-optimal level.
But the thing is…
Having an issue bouncing around, backwards and forwards in an organisation, like a ball in a pinball machine isn’t a very efficient way to make progress. In fact, it’s very slow.
Instead…
Someone might have to “take ownership,” and that someone might be you. You might need to say “I’m going to run with this.”
Of course, it’s also worth asking…
Are you the bat or the ball?