Bad Management Behavior and Practices

This article provides a brief overview of ‘bad management’ behavior and practices. I generally write about ‘best management’ practices, but it has become apparent in these times that an article highlighting bad management practices is much needed. The results of toxic bad management practices can reach far and wide in an organization inflicting long range damage.

Bad Management Practices

The following is a list of selected ‘bad management’ practices and pulled from dozens of recent articles.

• Bad managers tend to surround themselves with people that look, think, and act alike. They fail to build a diverse management team that offers a broad skill set and different perspectives.

• Bad managers focus on punishing employees who don’t perform as expected. While that may produce short-term results, it generally inspires resentment and lack of trust over the long term.
• Bad managers often fail to accept the responsibility or consequences of their decisions. They always tend to blame somebody else when things go wrong.
• Bad managers only feign interest in employee feedback, and won't actually act on what he or she hears.
• Bad managers work diligently on satisfying short term shareholder desires, even it this works to the long-term detriment of the organization and its survival.
• Bad managers generally do not to recognize employees for their accomplishments, but tend to only criticize their shortcomings.
• Bad managers tend to regard employees as simply cogs in a machine (‘human resources’) instead of as members of a team striving to achieve a common goal.
• Bad managers generally refrain from showing compassion, but rather instill fear and tend to assign blame.
• Bad managers tend to put up communication barriers in order to be less accessible to their subordinates.
• Bad managers who are micromanagers often end up damaging relationships with their employees, sending the message that employees are not trusted to get the job done.
• Bad managers often use bullying tactics when dealing with their subordinates - one of the most demotivating, demoralizing and debilitating of all bad management practices.
• Bad managers do not really understand management and don’t seem to grasp the changing management behavior and practices that are replacing older methods from the last century.

* Read Management in the 21st Century

 

Articles on ‘Bad Management’ Practices and Behavior

The following are some selected articles about ‘bad management’ practices and behavior that you might want to check out:

• Five Signs of Poor Management
• Ten Habits of Bad Management
• Bad Management Practices to Avoid Like The Plague
• What Happens to an Organization With Bad Management?
• The Real Costs of Bad Management and What You Can Do

• Bad Management Practices that Cause Employee Inefficiency 

It seems ridiculous that virtually all organizations knowingly employ people in key management positions that are simply ‘bad managers’. To highlight how silly this is, would you expect hospitals to employ ‘bad surgeons’ ? Of course not. So why would so many organizations hire and continue to employ ‘bad managers’ to run their organization? It makes no sense.

Management in the 21st Century

Management practices in the 21^st Century 'Information Age' are changing! New techniques and approaches are replacing many traditional methods that worked well in the 'Industrial Age' of the 20^th Century.

Early on in my career I decided I wanted to be a manager, even before I understood exactly what that meant. I have since spent a lifetime studying management and trying to become the best manager I could be – while primarily working in the healthcare, information, and technology sectors. The foundation for my understanding of management was laid back in the 1970's, when I formally studied and obtained a Masters Degree in Management. I then spent over 40 years of my career putting into practice what I learned.

Major Management Functions - POSDCRB

Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing,

Controlling/Coordinating, Reporting, Budgeting.

A number of recently published books have captured the key findings about new management approaches and techniques that are gaining strength as we move deeper into the 'Information Age' in this 21^st Century. The following are a selection of just a few of these books that I would recommend today's managers ought to consider reading:

• The Cathedral & The Bazaar
• The Essential Drucker
• How Google Works
• Medical Informatics 20/20: Collaboration, Open Solutions & Innovation
• Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything
• The Zero Marginal Cost Society

Modern 21^st Century Management Practices

The purpose of this article is to distill many of the best lessons learned about managing in the 21^st Century that might prove useful to managers today. While the major management functions remain largely the same, many new management techniques and approaches have emerged as we move deeper into the 'Information Age'. So without further ado, here is a fairly concise list of advice and lessons learned that may complement some of the older, traditional management practices you may have have been taught before you first started out. Here we go!

• Management processes still used in many industries and companies today were designed and developed over a century ago for the 'Industrial Age'.
• Almost every industry or company today is information-driven to some extent, e.g. publishing, healthcare, government, finance, transportation, manufacturing, energy…
• While traditional command and control management structures are still applicable to some organizations, most modern information-based companies rely on knowledge workers that thrive on freedom, collaboration, self-direction, experimentation, communications, sharing…
• Culture, mission, vision, and strategy go hand-in-hand. They are key to the success of your organization over the long term.
  • Take the time to carefully capture and define the culture, mission, vision, principles and values of your organization – write it down!
  • Authenticity and honesty are key! People know when an organization's mission and vision statement are simply nice sounding 'bull shit' sound bites.
  • Continually communicate and reinforce the culture, mission, vision, and values to your management team and employees, as well as to your stockholders and customers.
• Continuous innovation and quality improvement are key to the long-term survival of organizations today.
• Maximizing short-term value should always take a back seat to a commitment to long-term plans for success.
• Traditional hierarchical organizational structures may not be a good match for many information-based companies of today. They tend to restrict communication, collaboration, innovation and productivity.
• Traditional office structures and layouts may not be a good match for many information-based companies of today. Again, they tend to restrict communication, innovation and productivity.
• Stop listening exclusively to your Highest Paid Person's Opinion (HIPPO); start listening more to your smartest and most creative people.
• Keep the organization as flat as possible, with many small to mid-size productive teams that have ready access to senior management.
• Senior managers or leaders should be productive people that fully understand the business, e.g. technology, healthcare, military, transportation...
• Focus on building an 'open' platform that will allow you to grow quickly and globally, e.g. Internet, Linus, Facebook, Google, Twitter, YouTube, …
• Many mature organizations with roots in the 20^th Century tend to be hierarchical, 'closed' systems versus today's more 'open', flexible and 'flat' organizations.
• Many mature organizations tend to prioritize short-term revenue goals over creative new solutions and long-term growth.
• Collaboration, Open Solution, and Innovation (COSI) are key management strategies for success in today's global knowledge-based economy.
  • 'Open' systems allow one to harness the power of thousands of external partners.
  • Defaulting to 'Open' tends to foster increased innovation, while also lowering costs.

[Collaboration + 'Open' Solutions = Innovation]

• Recruiting and staffing for today's knowledge-based companies is even more important for success than in the past. Great care should be paid to every new hire. People truly are your organization's most valuable asset.
• Direction and Decision-Making remain key management functions. The primary difference today is that major decisions are often made by consensus after examining a wealth of hard data and information versus the more traditional authoritarian approach of the past.
• Knowledge-based companies in this 'Information Age' tend to favor the Consensus & Coordination versus Command & Control approach.
• Reporting remains a key management function to track progress towards major goals and objectives. The primary difference today is that reports must be primarily based on hard data and shared with as wide an audience as possible – both up, down, and across the organization.
• Budgeting and financial management are key management functions. Approximately 80% of your finances should be focused on supporting and enhancing your core business, while at least 20% should be spent on exploring and developing new products and services for future growth.
• Again, in today's knowledge-based 'Information Age' organizations, communications up, down, and across the organization is key. Default to 'open' – sharing all you can with others.

Major Resources to be Managed – 4M'S & I

Manpower, Money, Machines,

Materials, Space, Information.

Other Management Suggestions

The following are some last observations and thoughts for today's managers to seriously consider:

• 'Our people are our most important asset' is a cliché that is often tossed around loosely by many organizations that don't really believe what they say. To them, people are simply 'human resources' to be hired and replaced without any real concern. Employees are brighter than you think and will soon see right through this lie.
• Day-to-day decision-making should be distributed downward, leaving only the major decisions to be made by senior management. Decisions then need to be communicated up, down, and across the organization as widely as possible.
• All key knowledge-based employees should be encouraged and allowed to spend 20% of their time at work reading, studying, or working on new innovations. This will ultimately benefit the organization in many ways.
• Intelligence, creativity, passion, character, integrity, honesty, self-learners, … these are the qualities you want to look for when hiring and retaining staff. Be wary of employees who are 'bullies', hostile, manipulative, dishonest, loners, …
• Many traditional communication techniques still apply in today's environment of email, instant messaging, televideo,… Management by walking around and face-to-face conversations remain extremely valuable techniques.
• One last note: CEOs and other senior management officials must accept responsibility for their actions – the good and the bad. Avoiding responsibility and blaming others for failures is not acceptable. People will see right through that approach.

 

If you have other key observations and recommendation on how to better manage organizations in the 21^st Century 'Information Age', please feel free to share them with our readers.

Best Practices for Managing All-Volunteer Community Organizations

Over the years, I have managed a government organization, a private company, a non-government organization (NGO), and most recently was elected to head up a non-profit all-volunteer community organization. It turns out that roughly the same management skills are largely needed to lead each of them. However, leading a non-profit all-volunteer organization has a few unique personnel management challenges.

The following is a brief list of recommended best practices for managing an all-volunteer community organization based on the literature and practical experience.:

• Developing a written plan is one of the management keys to success for all volunteer organizations.
• Creating a detailed policy and procedures handbook is an essential step to orient and inform volunteers about your organization.
• Create job descriptions for all key positions, e.g. management officials, committee chairs, etc.
• Finding the right ‘qualified’ person to fill each of the key positions in the organization will help your all-volunteer program to blossom and operate smoothly.
• Provide training in managing an all-volunteer organization for the people occupying the key positions in the organization.
• Make sure there’s a good fit between the needs of volunteers and the organization. For example, a volunteer may be motivated by a desire to be of service, an interest in learning new skills through a volunteer role, or an interest in meeting and being with people.
• Develop a volunteer application and profile that will document their background, skills, interests, and more.
• Help get volunteers to know each other and share their background, needs, skills, interests…
• An orientation process should be established to help introduce new volunteers to your organization, its mission, goals, organization structure, policies, operating procedures and more.
• Management officials should make sure there is a process in place to recognize and thank volunteers for their work as individuals - and as a collective group.
• Feedback and suggestions from volunteer members is essential to ensure the smooth and effective operation of the organization.
• Being able to track and demonstrate the overall accomplishments, impact, and value of the organization to its volunteers and community supporters is essential.
• Raising and managing funds needed to operate the organization and its programs is another one of the keys to long range success.
• Having a building with space to house the volunteer workers with a conference room of some sorts to hold meetings and social gatherings is a major plus.
• Finally, information management systems are needed in this day and age to facilitate communication with volunteers who can only show up for work on an irregular basis. A web site, social media page, and email will greatly facilitate communications.

According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report, volunteerism peaked between 2003 and 2005, when 28.8 percent of Americans reported having volunteered the previous year. Last year, about 62 million Americans volunteers contributed their time to a wide variety of organizations in communities across the country.

Share your ideas on best practices in managing a non-profit all-volunteer organization with our readers.

Selected Links Basics of Volunteer Management Best Practices in Volunteer Management Best Practices of High Performing Volunteer Organizations National Council of Non-Profits Volunteer Hub Volunteer Management Guide Volunteer Now: 30 Tips for Success in Volunteer Management

Overview of Strategic Management

Strategic management is the art, science and craft of formulating, evaluating, and implementing major programmatic decisions that will enable an organization to achieve its long-term mission, vision, goals and objectives. It then involves developing policies and plans, often in terms of projects and programs, and then allocating resources to support the organization’s mission, vision, plans, policies, and major programs.

Strategic management seeks to coordinate and integrate the activities of the various functional areas of a business in order to achieve long-term organizational goals and objectives. Strategic management is the highest level of managerial activity. Strategies are typically planned, crafted or guided by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), approved or authorized by the Board of Directors, and then implemented under the supervision of the organization's top management team or senior executives.

Back in 1982, Tom Peters and Robert Waterman released a study that asked “What makes an excellent company?”  They looked at 62 companies that they thought were fairly successful. They concluded in In Search of Excellence that there were 8 keys to excellence that were shared by all. They are:

• A bias for action — Do it. Try it. Don’t waste excessive time studying it with multiple reports and committees.
• Customer focus — Get close to the customer. Know your customer. Know the difference between your customer and concerned stakeholders.
• Entrepreneurship — Even big companies can act quickly in today’s fast changing world by giving people the authority to take initiative.
• Productivity through people — Treat your people with respect and they will reward you with productivity.
• Value-oriented CEOs — The CEO should actively propagate its key corporate values throughout the organization.
• Stick to the knitting — Do what you know well, but turn to other experts when needed.
• Keep things simple and lean — Complexity encourages waste and confusion.
• Simultaneously centralized and decentralized — Try to have tight centralized control, while also allowing maximum individual autonomy.

Key Links Digital Commons Network – Business & Management Journal Articles Management in the 21st Century Open Education Consortium – Online Courses on Business Management Strategic Management Study Guide

Overview of Theory X, Y, and Z Management Styles

Which type of management style is predominant in the organization you work for? Theory X, Y, or Z? Yes, these three styles are real - not something I just made up.

Theory X assumes most people are basically in need of constant direction and control, and are not particularly responsible. Employees tend to be viewed as lazy, disliking work, and needing mixture of financial inducements and threat of loss of their job to make them productive (`carrot and stick' mentality). In general, the Theory X supervisor/manager distrusts subordinates to think and act in the best interests of the organization.

Theory Y assumes most people want to fulfill themselves. They seek self-respect, self-development and self-fulfillment at work, as in their daily lives. In general, the Theory Y supervisor/managers have much more faith in subordinates. This approach works well in many modern organizations that do not require constant supervision of their employees.

Theory Z is the participative management model. The Theory Z manager assumes that employees are motivated by a strong sense of commitment to be a part of something worthwhile.  Building trust among all organizational members is central to raising productivity. This style tends to prevail amongst 21^st century ‘knowledge worker’ organizations.

All good managers should understand these three styles of management and use the style best suited for their organization, its culture, and the tasks at hand. 

* See eNotes on Theory X, Y and Z Management. Also read Management in the 21st Century.