That Word Again…

There’s an old piece of bumper-sticker wisdom that you often hear quoted in discussions of management theory: “If it’s stupid, but it works, then it’s not really stupid.” In general, I’m opposed to Management By Inappropriate Aphorisms (MBIA), but every so often I run across one that bears repeating, and when I do I will try to pass them along. In this case, I feel that both the original phrase and its logical converse are things that the working manager needs to keep in mind.

First off, consider for a moment how often you have encountered entrenched procedures, unwritten rules or outright superstition in the workplace. For most people with management degrees, the excuse of “That’s the way we’ve always done it!” is an obscenity, or at the very least an invitation to completely re-write everything relating to that procedure. The problem here is, people rarely latch onto procedures that serve no purpose whatsoever. If your unit has been doing something the same way for an extended period (and has not been behind schedule or over-budget the entire time), then something about their method must actually work – and it is your first duty as a manager to determine WHY this became the standard procedure and WHAT is good about it before proceeding further.

By the same token, when you are examining the daily operations of your unit, one question you need to ask yourself continuously is “Does this work?” Because, of course, the converse to the old phrase listed above is: “If it doesn’t work, and it requires money or any other resource, then it is stupid.” A given procedure may not have any obvious functionality – it may simply raise morale by making the employees feel safer (Safety Needs, Level 2), making the employees feel more socially connected (Social Needs, Level 3), or by making the work environment more pleasant to spend time in (Satisfaction, Level 4 or 5, depending on how it works). The point is that if it doesn’t generate revenue (serving the company’s needs) or benefit the employees at some level (serving their needs), then we must question why we are doing it at all.

Of course, both of these activities are part of the basic functions of being a manager. It isn’t enough to just follow blindly the work-flow procedures set down by previous management teams, any more than it is sensible to assume that any long-standing procedure must be faulty. Before making a change in a standing procedure, ask yourself, “Do I understand why we do this? Can I explain what is good about it, and why it could be made better?” It will always be easier to just take action – to follow one’s “gut instinct” and make changes that appeal, or go along with long-forgotten rationales and proceed with the status quo – rather than analyze the situation, decide on the best course of action, and (where necessary) create need changes.

But not doing your manager’s duty is inherently – there’s that word again – STUPID!