In response to Tuesday’s post about Beating Back the Alligators, Sherry writes:
“I would love to get more information on how to beat back those Alligators! What happens when the Alligators are taking over?”
This is where the role of the Manager becomes truly important. The people who do the work (Strata I) can only work harder. The people who make sure the work gets done (Supervisor, Strata II) can only organize the chaos (also known as straightening the deck chairs on the Titanic).
The role of the Manager (Strata III) is to analyze what is causing things to be overwhelming and out of control.
Stop and think. What is the cause?
The most useful tool I know of is a long roll of butcher paper (available at any restaurant supply store). Roll it out and tape it on the wall. Create a flow chart of the essential steps necessary to do the work that is required. We are talking circles, boxes and triangles connected by arrows, cause and effect. Step One, Two, Three and Four. Then, for each step, ask why we are doing that? Is that in line with our senior purpose?
This exercise will expose unnecessary steps or activity that simply does not add value to the process. Get back to the fundamentals, do only those things that are truly essential.
What other ideas do you have? -TF
When a manager takes advantage of the valuable tool presented in Tom Foster’s Management Skills Blog, Stop and Think, Connect the Dots, it’s a great opportunity not only to “expose unnecessary steps or activity that simply does not add value to the process,” but to identify channels of delegation that just aren’t working.
Think of a family of five heading to the supermarket for their weekly grocery shopping. The mom creates five lists of required items and delegates a list to each family member. Instead of organizing the lists by department, i.e. frozen foods, baked goods, produce, each person roams the boundaries of the store, gathering items from several different departments. Not only is this process counterproductive, it wastes time!
When streamlining processes, identify appropriate tasks for each team player. Ensure that projects belong to the team players to which they are assigned. Determine if the most qualified person is attempting the project and enable multi-tasking by keeping related projects in the same department. This method promotes ownership in an area, while encouraging expertise. A project becomes a source of pride–and that kind of ownership and buy-in usually means exceptional outcomes.
Karen,
This is a perfect analogy that I think everyone can relate to.