From the Ask Tom mailbag:
Question:
I have been with the company for only 7 months now, and am very thankful I’ve found this site.
The biggest problem I face is three years of rapid growth in a family owned company. The culture is not keeping up with the changes in methods required to handle the increased volume. People still are working from memory instead of set processes, and are reluctant to train others in what they were solely responsible for years. Trying to force these changes seems to only increase turnover.
How can I influence my “older,” and most valued for technical skills, employees to change their ways of thinking?
Response:
If you continue to force these changes, two things might happen that will solve your situation. Turnover will eventually remove the resistance. The inevitable recession (Q1-2009) will reduce your volume so you won’t need to worry about it.
In the meantime, think about these two things, planning and execution. Of the two, which is more difficult?
Flawless execution, to the fundamental processes, with speed and accuracy is best accomplished under a form of organization government known as a dictatorship; tyrannical may be the most effective. (BTW, you cannot be the dictator).
But, to be able to execute flawlessly, requires a planning process to support it. And this planning process must be created under a very different form of government, a democracy. I know it is slow, requires participation, accommodation, discussion with divergent points of view, but it is absolutely necessary.
Plan like a democracy, execute like a dictatorship. It sounds as if you have things backwards. You are planning like a dictator, and you are experiencing democratic execution. You are dictating and forcing processes, but the execution is slow, with much discussion (grumbling), divergent points of view and resistance.
You have to reverse the process. Call a meeting. Explain the situation. You have increasing volume and the need for greater speed. Tell them the meeting will reconvene in twenty four hours, at which time, you will listen to their plan to handle the increased volume. Adjourn the meeting.
This message was brought home to me by Peter Schutz. You can read more about him in a post from November 10, 2006, Winning Depends on It. -TF
Tom,
Will you expand upon the idea of planning like a democracy? Democracy implies to me that that decisions are up for a vote and majority wins.
I am certainly all for a manager soliciting the best advice from his team, but ultimately the manager must have the authority to decide as it is the manager who is accountable for the output of the team.
My experience is that teams are OK with the ultimate decision being that of their manager as long as they know this upfront. Employees advise and recommend, but the manager decides.
Conversely, when a manager says or implies he’s running a democracy and the majority recommends something that the manager ultimately overrules, the team feels betrayed – and rightfully so.
Your thoughts?
Regards,
Michelle