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.
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