Inaction and inertia. Which is worse?

The two words are similar in meaning and are often used in the business environment as identical, but they are not.

Inaction has a clear meaning. It is the absence of action.

Inertia is more deceptive as a concept and therefore more dangerous. It implies the absence of action, but it is not exactly like that.

Inertia, as we learned in school, is the property of bodies to resist any change in their kinetic state. It is not immobility.

There can be movement, and even at high speed, and yet inertiais there. In fact, inertia is stronger the greater the moving mass and the greater the speed (think of how a speeding truck brakes).

Inertia is one of the most deceptive situations in business. Especially when it appears in large organizations that move at relatively fast rates.

There is a feeling that many great things are happening, that is, there is no inaction, but often the forces that can take the organization out of "business as usual" (inertia, that is) and bring about change, they are absent (or are weak).

The result is large organizations that are very much "active", but do not change.

Diagnosing inertia is difficult compared to inaction, precisely because of the deceptive nature of movement. If the system enters a state of inertia for a long time, the results are disastrous.

An organization will get out of inertia in various ways (think of the speeding truck again):

1. Sudden destruction. The truck crashes into a large obstacle that suddenly “spawns” in front of it, because the driver and his passengers fell asleep at the wheel.

Contingencies:

• The truck and/or the obstacle break apart.

• The truck does not break apart, but it suffers major damage that takes it off its path and delays or aborts the journey.

• The truck flattens the obstacle and continues its disastrous course to the next one, having suffered significant hidden damage.

2. Panic awakening. The driver realizes the cliff at the last moment and activates panic movements. He slams on the brakes, swerves, honks, curses, and prays at the same time. If he manages to prevent the disaster, he will most likely have burned the brakes, the tires, and several of his “lives.”

3. Vigilance and correction (change). The driver is alert, perceives obstacles, turns, signs, weather in time and uses the truck's systems correctly to adjust speed, change direction, and even stop at the side to rest. And then he continues towards the destination with a clear mind.

This driver takes care of himself and his co-driver or passengers and also the truck and its contents, so that it's he who controls the course and not inertia.

Surgeon General's warning: Inertia presents a serious risk to business health!

*Disclaimer: This is not a guide for truck drivers. :-)