News & Articles

Human Resource Management
Published in the Rochester Business Journal
January 28, 2005
© 2005 HR Works, Inc.

Avoiding the perils of hands-off management

By Candace Walters

How hands-on is your management style? And have you thought about whether it's effective?

Over the past few decades, as the concept of empowerment has gained favor, managers have become increasingly hands-off. Repeatedly warned against "micromanagement" - a term that conjures up visions of employees being asked to account for every paper clip and restroom break - managers have aimed to hire good people and then leave them alone to do their best work.

But as managers have fled en masse from the "micro" label, is it possible the pendulum has swung too far? Have today's managers become so hands-off that they have abdicated their day-to-day responsibilities and left their key performers to flounder? In small firms, are resources so thin that managers wouldn't have the time to micromanage even if they wanted to?

Bruce Tulgan, author of "The Under-Management Epidemic," writes that most managers provide too little feedback too inconsistently - saddling their organizations with low productivity and a disappointing return on investment.

In ongoing research conducted with some 500 managers since 2002, Tulgan's firm has found that only 10 percent of managers use what he calls a highly engaged approach: providing all direct reports with feedback at least once a week. These basics involve:

• Clear statements of performance requirements, priorities, goals and deadlines;
• Frequent monitoring and documentation of work performance;
• Clear feedback on performance with guidance for improvement; and
• Rewards and detriments distributed fairly.

In fact, Tulgan's research found that only 35 percent provide those basics even once a year!

The perils of under-management

In sports, coaches are hired to win games. Although styles vary greatly, the successful coaches set clear expectations for their staff and players, and they manage those expectations daily. Few waste time trying to be nice guys; in fact, some of history's most successful coaches are known for their intensity.

Similarly, managers are expected to achieve results through the people under their direction. Yet, as many have bought into the empowerment concept, they've stepped too far back. Too many are unwittingly failing to cultivate their most significant resource - high performers.

How do you know if your management style is ineffective? Out-of-the-loop managers fail to set meaningful goals and reasonable expectations, reinforce accountability, seize opportunities to provide coaching and development, recognize the contributions of high performers, and/or help reports anticipate and solve problems.

For any organization, cultivating the best performers is what will bring results. Many managers leave high performers alone, assuming they "have everything they need." Instead, Tulgan suggests, high performers suffer when under-managed. They often are not acknowledged and rewarded effectively, may not be given all the resources they need, and may fail to see a clear connection between their efforts and the success of the organization.

Think about it: In an effort to create a "nice-guy" culture or "family atmosphere," does your organization reward all employees equally, rather than those who few truly deserve the recognition?

Why has under-management become the norm?

Several factors contribute to managers providing too little managing:

1. Lack of time and/or resources. As managers are given more direct reports, not to mention more administrative tasks, the time and resources available to provide meaningful supervision to each employee shrink. This is especially true with small businesses.



2. Lack of real desire to be in charge. Successful managers must make unpopular decisions, confidently challenge others, balance opposing views, and hold subordinates accountable. Only a small percentage fit comfortably in this management role. However, too many employees - often star performers - get "promoted" to a position for which they are ill-suited. Or, an employee looking to advance incorrectly perceives that being a manager will be the answer, even if he or she lacks the skills and temperament. The reality is that many employees add more value to an organization by remaining individual contributors.



3. Lack of skill. Managers who don't receive best-practices training instead develop their own styles, which are often ineffective.



4. Fear. Some managers resist taking a highly engaged approach because they fear the effort won't be worth it. They also hesitate to deal with employees' negative feelings and/or retaliatory measures such as foot-dragging and negativity. Further, managers fear that employees may impose expectations or demands that the manager can or will not meet.

Striking the right balance

Given all these challenges, what can a manager realistically strive for?

Tulgan's research finds that the most effective, hands-on managers follow several of these best practices on a regular basis:

• They know the details of their reports' work, what resources are necessary, what expectations, goals and deadlines are reasonable, and how success can be measured.



• They provide direction, support and guidance regularly. They help identify and resolve resource needs and problems, and monitor and measure workloads.



• They monitor and measure performance in writing. They discover each employee's unique needs and wants, and use that information to give the employee a strong personal stake in the job and in the relationship with the manager.



• They accept that managing people is a day-to-day negotiation. They know it means constantly answering employees' questions: "What do you want from me? What do I get for my hard work -- today?" But they regularly coach each report about performance requirements, and they make clear what is not negotiable. They take charge but also accept input.



• They tie rewards and detriments to measurable instances of employee performance. They use all the discretion the organization's compensation system allows, and are willing to give high performers high scores and low performers low scores. They deal with performance problems immediately.

Conclusion

The world of business management hardly needs another management fad or trend. Few would argue that avoiding excessive intrusion into the trivialities of subordinates' work lives is best avoided, no matter what size the firm.

But if you've been content to give employees plenty of space and autonomy with little follow-up, consider that you may actually be depriving them of what they need most to excel - excellent, hands-on management. Your business' future will probably depend on it.

Candace Walters is president and CEO of HR Works, Inc., an HR management outsourcing and consulting firm serving more than 600 clients in the Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse and Baltimore/Washington areas. HR Works provides HR Department outsourcing, part-time and interim HR managers, affirmative action plans, HR*Stars recruitment services, legally reviewed employee handbooks and supervisor manuals, compensation programs, training and more. To offer comments, write walters@hrworks-inc.com

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