Senior executives at large corporations often distance themselves from the day-to-day work that most employees do. While
Question:
Senior executives at large corporations often distance themselves from the day-to-day work that most employees do. While senior executives might enjoy the benefits of an executive suite, and getting away from day-to-day work concerns might foster a broader perspective about the business, the distance between management and workers could come at a real cost: Senior management often does not understand the way most employees do their daily work. The dangers of this remote approach are obvious. Sometimes executives make decisions without recognizing how difficult or impractical their implementation is. Executives can also lose sight of the most important challenges facing subordinates. The practice of " Managing By Walking Around " ( MBWA ) does not coincide with isolation in the executive suite. To practice MBWA , managers set aside time to tour departments on a regular basis, form networks of people in the organization, and step away from their desks to speak with employees one-on-one. This practice was used by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard, who applied this management style at HP to learn more about the challenges and opportunities their employees faced. Many other organizations followed suit, and discovered that this management style has some advantages over the typical desk-based management approach. A recent study of successful Swedish organizations revealed that MBWA was a common technique in several companies that received national awards for being great places to work. The popular television show Undercover Boss took MBWA to the next level by having top executives from companies such as Chiquita Brands, DirectTV, Great Wolf Resorts and NASCAR work undercover among employees. Executives reported that this process taught them how difficult many of the jobs in their organizations are, and all the skills that were required to perform even lower-level tasks. They also acknowledged that the experience taught them a lot about their organizations' core business, and that it gave them new ideas to improve it. Even though the MBWAhas been popular for a long time, poses certain difficulties. First, the time managers spend directly observing the workforce is time they do not spend on the main tasks of their position such as analysis, coordination and strategic planning. Second, management that relies on subjective impressions gained by touring the company runs counter to a research-based, data-driven approach to management decision-making. Third, it is also possible that executives walking around the company are seen as intruders or spies. Applying the MBWA style requires a great deal of planning to avoid its potential disadvantages.
- What situations could managers learn from touring the company and having daily contact with line employees that they wouldn't know about by simply reviewing data and reports?
- As an employee, would you appreciate knowing that your supervisor regularly spends time with subordinates?
- How would knowing that top executives regularly interact with line employees affect your attitude toward the organization?
- How can executives and other organizational leaders learn about the day-to-day operations of their businesses, beyond going “covert”?
- What are the dangers of using the walking management strategy? Could it cause employees to feel like they are being spied on?
- What actions by managers would reduce such concerns?
2Minimum references
Business research methods
ISBN: 978-1439080672
8th Edition
Authors: William G Zikmund, Barry J. Babin, Jon C. Carr, Mitch Griff