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FUNCTION ALLERGY

Why organizations reject actual delivery

DEFINITION

Function Allergy is the organizational immune response against delivering actual outcomes. It's the systemic rejection of functionality in favor of process, planning, and performance theater.

THE ALLERGIC RESPONSE TO FUNCTION

Organizations develop Function Allergy when actual delivery threatens their comfortable dysfunction.

Like a biological allergy, the organization perceives function as a threat and mobilizes its immune system (bureaucracy, process, committees) to reject it.

Warning: Function Allergy is often disguised as "quality control," "risk management," or "proper process." The organization doesn't recognize it's rejecting what it claims to want.

WHAT TRIGGERS FUNCTION ALLERGY

SPEED OF DELIVERY

Fast function delivery exposes dysfunction. When something ships quickly, it reveals how much time is wasted on non-functional activities.

Allergic Response: "This is moving too fast," "We need to slow down," "What about process?"

SIMPLICITY OF SOLUTION

Simple functional solutions threaten complex organizational structures. If problems are simple, why do we need so many layers?

Allergic Response: "It can't be that simple," "We need to consider all factors," "This is too basic."

DIRECT ACCOUNTABILITY

Function delivery requires someone to own outcomes. This threatens systems built on shared responsibility and plausible deniability.

Allergic Response: "We need team consensus," "Everyone should be involved," "Shared ownership."

MEASURABLE OUTCOMES

Functional delivery produces measurable results. This threatens roles justified by activity rather than outcomes.

Allergic Response: "Success is hard to measure," "We need qualitative metrics," "It's about journey."

THE ORGANIZATIONAL IMMUNE SYSTEM

ANTIBODY 1: PROCESS PROLIFERATION

When function threatens to emerge, the organization produces more process to contain it. "We need approval workflows," "This requires review stages," "Let's add checkpoints."

Function killer: Process becomes more important than outcome.

ANTIBODY 2: COMPLEXITY INJECTION

Simple functional solutions get infected with artificial complexity. "We need to consider edge cases," "What about scalability?" "This lacks sophistication."

Function killer: Solution becomes too complex to implement.

ANTIBODY 3: TIMELINE INFLATION

Fast function delivery gets delayed by artificial timelines. "We need time to do this right," "Rush jobs create problems," "Patience is wisdom."

Function killer: Delivery delayed until momentum dies.

ANTIBODY 4: STAKEHOLDER MULTIPLICATION

Clear ownership gets diluted with additional stakeholders. "We need input from everyone," "Who else should be involved?" "What about alignment?"

Function killer: Too many voices, no clear decisions.

WHY ORGANIZATIONS DEVELOP FUNCTION ALLERGY

  • •Function threatens hierarchy: Direct delivery bypasses layers of management
  • •Function exposes incompetence: When things work, dysfunction becomes obvious
  • •Function requires accountability: Someone must own outcomes and consequences
  • •Function threatens job security: If problems get solved, what's left to do?
  • •Function demands truth: Working solutions reveal buried signal about what's broken

DETECTING FUNCTION ALLERGY

EARLY WARNING SIGNS

  • • "This solution seems too simple" for straightforward problems
  • • "We need to think through all implications" for obvious fixes
  • • "Let's make sure we're not missing anything" before clear action
  • • "What's the long-term strategy?" for immediate tactical needs
  • • "We should involve more stakeholders" for individual decisions

CHRONIC FUNCTION ALLERGY

  • • No project ships without months of "preparation"
  • • Working prototypes get rejected for being "incomplete"
  • • Simple solutions require complex approval processes
  • • "Quality" always requires more time and process
  • • Function delivery is seen as "moving too fast"

THE COST OF FUNCTION ALLERGY

IMMEDIATE COSTS

  • • Projects that should take weeks take months
  • • Resources consumed by process instead of delivery
  • • Competitive advantage lost to faster-moving organizations
  • • Customer problems remain unsolved longer

SYSTEMIC COSTS

  • • Function-oriented people leave for healthier organizations
  • • Process-oriented people multiply and reinforce allergy
  • • Innovation dies from complexity and delay
  • • Organization loses ability to respond to reality

COMMON FUNCTION ALLERGY PATTERNS

The "Not Ready" Syndrome

Functional solutions perpetually need "more work" before deployment

The "Consider Everything" Trap

Every functional decision requires analysis of infinite edge cases

The "Perfect Process" Block

Function delivery delayed until ideal process is designed

The "Stakeholder Spiral"

More people keep getting added who need to approve function

The "Scope Creep Immunity"

Simple function gets infected with additional requirements

The "Quality Hostage"

Function held hostage by ever-increasing quality standards

TREATING FUNCTION ALLERGY

Function Allergy requires systematic exposure therapy and immune system override.

The Function Exposure Protocol:

  1. 1. Identify allergic responses: "We're rejecting function. Why?"
  2. 2. Override immune system: "Ship function first, optimize process later"
  3. 3. Force exposure: "Deliver one functional outcome every week"
  4. 4. Document tolerance: "Track what happens when we ship function"
  5. 5. Build immunity: "Function delivery becomes organizational habit"

THE BURIED TRUTH ABOUT FUNCTION

Most organizations are allergic to function because function reveals dysfunction.

When you ship working solutions quickly, it becomes obvious how much organizational activity contributes nothing to outcomes. Function is the enemy of bureaucracy.

Organizations that cure Function Allergy become unstoppable. Organizations that don't become irrelevant.

Ready to Ship Function?

Cure your Function Allergy. Get the intervention that forces function delivery over process optimization.

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