Management by Walking Around
Management by Walking Around or Management by Wandering Around (MBWA) (German: Leadership by walking around, walking around) describes a management style in which direct personal contact between management and employees across all hierarchical levels is of great importance.
Definition and origin
Tom Peters and Robert H. Waterman Jr. , believed to be the inventors of MBWA, defined this type of leadership in their 1982 work In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America's Best-Run Companies as follows:
“MBWA is simply a means of promoting effective two-way communication between employees and managers. Two-way channels of communication provide for fruitful, immediate exchange between two or more parties, thus filling the gaps left open by other communications techniques. "
"To put it simply, MBWA is a means of promoting effective two-way communication between employees and managers, which enables productive, face-to-face exchanges between two or more parties, eliminating the gaps in other communication technologies."
As the manager walks through his company and visits his employees at their workplaces, effective communication between both sides is made possible.
The origin of this type of leadership can, however, already be found in the 1970s. Superiors of the US printer manufacturer Hewlett-Packard therefore practiced this method.
MBWA in the company
Applying this type of leadership means that the top management gets a more authentic picture of the employees outside of formal meetings. If the supervisor can also be contacted outside of his workplace, he signals to the employee that he is interested in his concerns.
If MBWA is firmly integrated into the corporate culture , the likelihood of inconsistencies and potential conflicts will decrease. This is done by using direct interaction instead of longer contact paths with managers in order to eliminate errors or problems.
Similarity to Gemba
Even if the comparability to Gemba is occasionally mentioned in practice , MBWA is a relatively more informal management style in terms of goals, discussion locations, methods and sources of answers. The following table shows the differences:
| Gemba | MBWA | |
|---|---|---|
| aims | high degree of focus and specification | no predefined topics |
| Conversation places | certainly | indefinite |
| Methods | in-depth, process-oriented | generalizing, holistic |
| Source of answers | usually on the part of the employees | usually on the part of the manager |
Advantages and disadvantages of MBWA
The following strengths and weaknesses for MBWA can be named:
advantages
- The direct contact between management and employees not only ensures shorter lines of contact, but also creates a relaxed atmosphere for discussion, which can rarely be found in formal meetings. Dialogues that take place on-site in the employee's workroom are open and rather confidential in nature.
- This results in another effect: through an active exchange of ideas, both managers and employees benefit, which can have beneficial effects on the business.
- In a company whose culture is shaped by MBWA, there is a more pleasant working atmosphere, which has a positive effect on employee motivation and thus promotes overall productivity.
disadvantage
- The implementation of MBWA appears to be very complex for larger companies. If a manager only deals with MBWA, everyday business is left behind.
- The so-called "Powell method" of the former US Secretary of State Colin Powell can offer a remedy : by crossing the same route every day at the same time, he targeted those people who were trying to talk to him.
- MBWA harbors a further risk for the workforce if the staff perceive the constant discussions as a control and monitoring instrument. Therefore, this type of leadership should be exercised with sensitivity.
Practical examples
- Sam Walton , founder of the largest US supermarket chain Walmart , is known as an advocate of MBWA. He was convinced to visit as many branches as often as possible and to communicate with the local staff.
- On his YouTube channel, Peters mentions that Howard Schultz , CEO of the Starbucks coffee house chain , visits at least 25 branches a week in person.
- Steve Jobs , Jack Welch, and Herb Kelleher are other famous people known for using MBWA in their corporate governance.
- There is also a negative example. A study from 2013 by the two scientists Anita L. Tucker and Sara J. Singer from Harvard University illustrates the complexity and the failure of MBWA use in the hospital sector. The research found that known and minor problems could be resolved quickly, while more demanding issues led to a decrease in performance. According to the authors, the main reason for this was the unwillingness of the senior staff to act proactively. Only the problems were identified, but no concrete measures were taken.
Individual evidence
- ^ In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America's Best-Run Companies Google Books. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- ^ Leadership Elements: A Guide to Building Trust Google Books. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
- ↑ Schüller, Anne M .: Customer-focused leadership: Management by walking and talking around. Unternehmer.de, June 29, 2009, accessed June 2, 2016 .
- ^ Roussel, Jeff: The Difference between a Gemba Walk and Management by Walking Around. KaiNexus, July 23, 2015, accessed June 1, 2016 .
- ^ Weber, Frank: Newsletter. Bosses you can touch - effective and trustworthy. weber.advisory, April 18, 2014, accessed May 28, 2016 .
- ↑ The 10 Biggest Leadership Mistakes - And How To Avoid Them Google Books. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
- ↑ Definition of 'Management By Walking Around'. The Economic Times, accessed June 1, 2016 .
- ↑ LEADERSHIP: Managing by Wandering Around . Tom Peters, accessed May 25, 2016 .
- ↑ Jordon, Beverly: Successful Leaders Use Management by Walking Around . Retrieved May 22, 2016 .
- ^ Singer, Sara J. and Tucker, Anita L .: The Effectiveness of Management-By-Walking-Around: A Randomized Field Study. September 4, 2013, accessed June 4, 2016 .