An analogy that underscores the value of assigning, delegating and controlling
Richard T. Christensen, Management Consultant
In any organization, the manager's bosses, peers and subordinates, in return for their active support, impose some requirements, just as the manager imposes some requirements upon them when they are drawing upon his or her support. These demands constitute so much of the manager's time that successful leadership hinges on an ability to control this "monkey on the back" effectively.
Why is it that managers are typically running out of time while their subordinates are typically running out of work? In this article, we shall explore the meaning of management time as it relates to the interaction between
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Send me a memo on that."
Let us analyze this one. The monkey is now on the subordinate's back because the next move is his, but it is poised for a leap. Watch that monkey. Johnson dutifully writes the requested memo and drops it in his out basket. Shortly thereafter, the manager plucks it from his in basket and reads it. Whose move is it now? The manager's. If he does not make a move soon, he will get a follow up memo from the subordinate (this is another form of supervision). The longer the manager delays, the more frustrated the subordinate will become (he'll be "spinning his wheels") and the more guilty the manager will feel (his backlog of subordinate imposed time will be mounting).
Or suppose once again that at a meeting with a third subordinate, Smith, the manager agrees to provide all the necessary backing for a public relations proposal he has just asked Smith to develop. The manager's parting words to her are "Just let me know how I can help." Now let us analyze this. Here the monkey is initially on the subordinate's back. But for how long? Smith realizes that she cannot let the manager "know" until her proposal has the manager's approval.
and control in the hands of the manager. In an autocratic style of management, the leader makes all of
Delegation is widely acknowledged to be an essential element of effective management (Yukl, G. 1994). Delegation is basically a process of assigning responsibility, sharing authority, and producing accountability in organizations. It is a managerial instrument that allows managers to nurture subordinates to capitalize the subordinate’s potential and ability to meet organizational goals and objectives. As a form of employee involvement in decision-making, delegation describes a category of leader behavior that entails assignment of new responsibilities to subordinates and additional authority to carry them out (Yukl, G. 1998). Managers usually find it easier to speak about delegation of
Besides that, there is a common consent technique for management. Management often changes even to an organization. You have your outstanding, your good, and your thoroughly incompetent who can do a lot of damage. In this biz, like so much, consistency is a good thing. Well-trained managers improve morale and improve morale
In Jeremy Rifkin’s book Time Wars includes the reading selection “The Efficient Society” he is analytical in his explanation of what is being considered to be an efficient society. In the critical analysis he details the time management scenarios that are addressed to make more efficient workers. Corporations need to produce more work from each of its workers and the way that the companies take the time to measure
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In the first situation (Tennan,75/76), the member of the board of trustees Mr. Smith lets the president of the University know that she had spoken inappropriately to her secretary. Mr. Smith claims that since she is the president, so she should have been more direct with her secretary. What he probably saw in her is lack of confidence and power. In this case I agree with the member of the board of trustees Mr. Smith. I strongly disapprove her indirect style of communication towards her secretary by telling her “Do you think you could…” and “…would you please do me the favor…” (Tannen, 75). Instead, she should have said in a direct style something like “I just finish drafting the letter, now type right away and hold all calls while
Candidate Hogue's initial brief hit the entirety of the 5-paragraph order and contained an abundance of information, but took almost four minutes to disseminate the information. Candidate Hogue briefed a vague and generalized initial plan, outlining what needed to happen, but did not specify who would be tackling what tasks. No direction given in regards to security. While negotiating the obstacle, Candidate Hogue needed to reassess a plan that did not work, and therefore forgot to include the rest of his team; so while he was fixing the problem by himself (tying the rope onto the barrel), the rest of his team stood by and watched silently. Candidate Hogue was able to make modifications to his initial plan, but it added stress to the team because
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the monkey is straddling both shoulders: the manager’s and his staff. As soon as the manager
"Management Time: Who 's got the Monkey" has been the second most popular management article ever published by the Harvard Business Review ("Management Time: Who 's got the Monkey", by William Oncken and Donald Wass, first published by Harvard Business Review, 1974) and has been reprinted several times. Thirty odd years later, the message Oncken and Wass sent us on management, still holds true today.
If managers cannot adapt a leadership style when required then staff will become unengaged and have low morale. Not recognising their own role in the organisation or the vision of organisation and where it wants to be.
"The One Minute Manager", by Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson. The main reading theme is managers should reflect a compassionate behavior to his/her employees. They also need to be open with them about their expectations. "This document theme seems to be based on two underlying premises: one quality of theme spent with subordinates as with one 's children more important than quality and to in the end, people subordinates should really be managing themselves" (Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson, 1981, page 270). The reading states that managers and employees can both benefit with this type of behavior. To have a successful organization managers must clarify company goals and employee responsibilities as it relates to their performance standards. The authors believe that
To develop an understanding of “Clock Building, Not Time Telling,” we will first explore the two myths of the business world that are engrained in the minds of individuals thought to achieve
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However, when employees add more time to the six hours a week, there are diminishing returns regarding the motivation, engagement, and inspiration. Therefore, while the leaders spend time with them, they must ensure