“Attention is the currency of the world. It makes the economy hum. It is required to make important decisions.

Those that don’t have it want it. Those that have it want more. Some work to preserve the attention they already have.

Attention can be purchased and traded. It can be converted to other currencies like our time and virtual badges from online check-ins.

Yet, attention is a depleted resource for many associations. Ignored association members unite daily sharing complaints and concerns about the association’s lack of attention to them. Sometimes their complaints spill over onto the web. Frustration is posted in Facebook. Negative tweets are sent. Blog posts are written. Yet most associations are unaware of their customer dissatisfaction.

Just as attention deficit disorder (ADD) is diagnosed in individuals and Ritalin prescribed, associations can suffer from organizational ADD.” Source: Eight Symptoms Of Organizational ADD

If you suspect that your organization has ADD, you might want to go to the source and read the 8 symptoms…

It may be possible, however, that the 8 symptoms stem from the inability of your associates to simply pay attention. I have been reading “Distracted: The Erosion of Attention and the Coming Dark Age”

“In this richly detailed and passionately argued book, Jackson (What’s Happening to Home?) warns that modern society’s inability to focus heralds an impending Dark Age—an era historically characterized by the decline of a civilization amid abundance and technological advancement. Jackson posits that our near-religious allegiance to a constant state of motion and addiction to multitasking are eroding our capacity for deep, sustained, perceptive attention—the building block of intimacy, wisdom and cultural progress and stunting society’s ability to comprehend what’s relevant and permanent.” Source: Amazon.com: Distracted: The Erosion of Attention and the Coming Dark Age (9781591027485): Maggie Jackson, Bill McKibben: Books: Reviews, Prices & more

I have a fundamental belief as well that many organizations are simply so inept at the basics of business today [email, sales, marketing] that they settle for dysfunction as the new norm. What say you?

Related articles

• How the brain is wired for attention (tricitypsychology.com)
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) – All Information (umm.edu)
• Attention Deficit Disorder: A History Timeline (brighthub.com)