Gervase R. Bushe Ph.D.
What do those managers who bring out the best in
others do that makes them so successful at managing people?
In traditional organizations many managers see themselves as “problem-solvers”. Authority to act on problems rests in the hands of the few, while the many are there to gather information, make suggestions and execute the “solutions” arrived at by the few. The best problem-solvers are promoted up the hierarchy and in many organizations “management” is synonymous with “problem-solving”. Management schools have been, I think, justly criticized for training MBAs mainly in how to apply problem-solving formulas. There are a number of deficiencies with the “manager as problem-solver” model that is contributing to the demise of command and control forms of organizing. One is that such organizations make sub-optimal use of their biggest operating expense, their payroll. Instead of using the minds of everyone to achieve and sustain competitive performance, most people are used as the hands and feet of the organization while only a comparative few are used for their brains. This separation of problem-solvers from solution implementers creates a number of other problems. One is increased resistance to implementation from those who have had no say in the “solutions”. “Those who plan the battle don’t battle the plan” as the saying goes. Another is that the “problem solvers” tend to be a few steps removed from the actual problems they are solving. Research has shown that solutions tend to be more efficient and more effective the more “variance is controlled at source” – that is, the more people close to problems are the ones solving the problems. Finally the separation of those who report problems and then execute solutions from those who actually solve the problems considerably slows down processes of adaptation and innovation. In today’s rapidly changing business environment this traditional form of leadership takes too long to find the right solutions and get them implemented.
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