Reboot the Manager

The world has changed dramatically over last many decades. However, the role of the manager has remained constant since the industrial revolution. What should be the role of the manager in the new world? Do we need a manager in the first place? What value does a manager bring to the team?

Role, managers are playing today predates back to the command and control mode (primarily derived from Military). In that model, Officer makes all the decisions and gives command to his troops. When that model was brought into the Organizations, Managers made the requisite decisions as they had better understanding of the underlying work. All associates performed similar work. While people were part of the teams, machines (during manufacturing era) were the critical resources. Manager was critical for information flow. He ensured that the requisite information flowed in all directions (from top to down and vice versa). Managers job was primarily as a control – ensure that all the rules were followed; no risks were taken and all procedures complied with. He directed the associates on allocation of work (deciding who does what). He derived significant power because of his position (as he is the primary face of the company to the associates) and expertise (as he knows more about work than any of the associates – atleast deemed that way).

Today, the world has changed. We are in service economy and people (not machines) are the critical resources. Knowledge of the people is critical for the success of the Organizations. Today, associates know more about their work than their managers and hence are the best people to make decisions. The work is so diverse in nature that there cannot be standard procedures to comply with. Today, there is abundance of information (as against lack of it) and for all practical purposes, a CEO can directly email an associate on the floor with a question and get response within minutes. We have sophisticated workflow and MIS (Management Information Systems) that provides an immediate update on the status of work.

However, the role of the Manager has not evolved. Unfortunately, many still tend to operate in the command and control model though the underlying reality has changed. They tend to draw power from their position (without the underlying expertise) and try to exert control on the associates using the power. Associates tend to resist such power usage and this leads to unhealthy conflict amongst the teams and loss of respect for the Manager.

A recent Wall Street Journal article talks about example of an organization that is operating without bosses (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303379204577474953586383604.html) - very radical approach. I think the idea has merit and could be tried in few areas. However, it may not be possible to do so in all spheres of work (and is radical enough that there would be resistance to even accepting such a way is possible). However, I think time has come to question the traditional role of the manager and re-look at what is expected out of her today. In my mind, role of the manager has to dramatically change on the following dimensions:

Control to Facilitator:  Managers should come to terms with the fact that they are not the most knowledgeable people on the team. The associates who perform the work are more aware of the situations and have the necessary expertise to address them. Hence, Manager should move to the role of a Facilitator who facilitates the decisions as against the one making them.

Adherence to Disruptive: In the earlier days, compliance to rules and adherence to procedures is gold standard. However, with the constant change, focus is shifting to disruptive innovation. This would mean that a Manager has to encourage associates to go out of comfort zone and experiment. They should break the rules (try out new approaches). She should encourage associates to take risks and reward them for it (even if that action results in failure). She should be comfortable in dealing with ambiguity (as she may have to support initiatives/plans/actions that may not have a determined outcome but just a possibility). Manager also has to keep connecting the larger organizational context to the work done by the associates so that they can channelize their innovation efforts in the right direction.

Short term to Long Term: Managers in today’s world cannot operate just by focusing on short term. They should be able to balance both short term and long term objectives. Hence, while today’s results are being achieved, they should constantly focus on the implications of the long term (given the changing nature of the world). In order to do so, they should keep abreast of what is changing in the external world and how it impacts their operations.

Manage to Coach: Managers have to transform themselves as coaches. Today, associates do not like to be directed. They like to be engaged and constantly challenged. The peanut butter approach also does not work. They should focus on each of the individuals on the team. Hence, as a Coach, she has to understand the strengths of each of her team members and see how she can leverage these strengths for success of the team. She should also channelize the efforts/energy of the associate to further build on their strengths. As a Coach, she should also understand that the motives/drivers of each of the associate can be different and has to adapt her approach accordingly.

In my mind, a Manager has to first change on these four dimensions to evolve her role to the needs of the modern world. This requires a significant change in her mindset. Her value to the team does not come from her expertise or position but how she could facilitate the team for better success. Do I think we need Managers in today’s world? Yes but in the role of Coaches as against pure managers. What do you think? How do you think Managers have to change to adapt to the new world?