Page 264 - The Handbook for Quality Management a Complete Guide to Operational Excellence
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250   C o n t i n u o u s   I m p r o v e m e n t                e f f e c t i v e   C h a n g e   M a n a g e m e n t    251


                                Ineffective Management Support Strategies
                                Strategy #1: Command people to act as you wish. With this approach the
                                senior leadership simply commands people to act as the leaders wish. The
                                implication is that those who do not comply will be subjected to disciplin-
                                ary action. People in less senior levels of an organization often have an
                                inflated view of the value of raw power. The truth is that even senior lead-
                                ers have limited power to rule by decree. Human beings by their nature
                                tend to act according to their own best judgment. Thankfully, command-
                                ing that they do otherwise usually has little effect. The result of invoking
                                authority is that the decision-maker must constantly try to divine what
                                the leader wants him or her to do in a particular situation. This leads to
                                stagnation and confusion as everyone waits on the leader. Another prob-
                                lem with commanding as a form of “leadership” is the simple communi-
                                cation problem. Under the best of circumstances people will often simply
                                misinterpret the leadership’s commands.
                                   Strategy #2: Change the rules by decree. When rules are changed by
                                decree the result is again confusion. What are the rules today? What will
                                they be tomorrow? This leads again to stagnation because people don’t
                                have the ability to plan for the future. Although rules make it difficult to
                                change, they also provide stability and structure that may serve some use-
                                ful purpose. Arbitrarily changing the rules based on force (which is what
                                “authority” comes down to) instead of a set of guiding principles does
                                more harm than good.
                                   Strategy #3: Authorize circumventing of the rules. Here the rules are
                                allowed to stand, but exceptions are made for the leader’s “pet projects.”
                                The result is general disrespect for and disregard of the rules, and resent-
                                ment of the people who are allowed to violate rules that bind everyone
                                else. An improvement is to develop a formal method for circumventing
                                the  rules,  for  instance,  deviation  request  procedures.  While  this  is  less
                                arbitrary, it adds another layer of complexity and still doesn’t change the
                                rules that are making change difficult in the first place.
                                   Strategy #4: Redirect resources to the project. Leaders may also use
                                their command authority to redirect resources to the project. Rather than
                                use logical prioritization schemes to prioritize projects, political clout is
                                the basis of the allocation.
                                Effective Management Support Strategies
                                Strategy #1: Transform the formal organization and the organization’s cul-
                                ture. By far the best solution to the problems posed by organizational road-
                                block is to transform the organization into one where these roadblocks
                                no longer exist. As discussed earlier, this process can’t be implemented
                                by decree. As the leader helps project teams succeed, he or she will learn
                                about the need for transformation. Using persuasive powers, the leader-
                                champion can undertake the exciting challenge of creating a culture that
                                embraces change instead of fighting it.








          12_Pyzdek_Ch12_p241-264.indd   251                                                            11/9/12   5:13 PM
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