In the age of social business and collaboration it is generally accepted by those who think seriously about management in the 21st century that top down micro-managing is a useless relic of the industrial age. It is nice to see another study confirming this. Lindsay Korizak, reports on a useful study by Bill McCleave in: Getting Back to Management Basics: Communicating, Listening and Trusting.
As she wrote, “in a recent survey of distributors and manufacturers by Bill McCleave, three characteristics kept appearing as critical to good management: communication, listening and the ability to delegate (aka macro-managing vs. micro-managing).” Yet I hear constantly from friends that their bosses are still doing the old micro-managing thing. And they are not happy as a result to no surprise.
She added that McCleave quoted Gordon Bethune in his book From Worst to First: “Your real job as a boss … is to let people do their jobs. It’s to assemble the right team, set the big picture direction, communicate that and then get out of the way.” But so many managers cannot get out of the way. To me this shows a lack of respect for the capabilities and judgment of employees. It is also a very inefficient way to run a business.
Social collaboration tools can help here as they allow managers to see what is going on without stepping on the toes of their employees. The transparency means they can keep watch while staying out of the way. I hope that more managers realize this. It will lead to a more happy and productive workforce.
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