Successful Management Involves the Whole Team

“So much of what we call management consists of making it difficult for people to work.” Peter Drucker

I had coffee with some friends this week when our work situations became the topic. One of our friends was upset about a review they had just received from their boss. This person had been with the same company for over 20 years, and this was the first poor review they had received. They went on to explain that they had been late turning in reports. The main reason was that the company purchased some new reporting software. Unfortunately, it did not make the job easier; in most situations, it added work. My friend commented that this would have been identified right away if management had let the people using the system in the field review it and offer their input on many of the problems they are now spending money to fix. This software may have made it easier for managers to generate and share information, but it added a lot of extra work for the people in the field entering the data.

This is a good example of what this quote from Drucker warns about. “So much of what we call management consists of making it difficult for people to work.”

With analytics being a buzzword in business today, you need to ensure that the management systems you implement don’t impede your real objectives. One of the best ways to do this is to create a culture in your business that is open to input from everyone. If your objective is to make it easier for people to report activities, ensure that everyone in the chain has input, and all agree that the solutions you implement meet the objective at every level.

You also want to include customers if it affects them. I call more businesses today that add multiple questions to their computer-generated phone systems and enter their websites. They always let you know that you don’t have to answer all their questions, but just the time it takes to listen to these messages is aggravating. Marketing people like to gather information seeking to improve service, but they need to be careful not to push customers away in the process.

Just a reminder, I will be at the Glass Expo Northeast™ this week in New York. It will be great to walk the floor and see what is new in person. There is also a full agenda of educational seminars to keep you updated. I hope to see you and your staff there. Glass Expo Northeast™ – Education and Exhibition for the Tri-State Glass Industry