Management is always an interesting topic. It’s something that some people do better than others, and it requires a diverse set of skills that benefit from being updated or refreshed.
Unfortunately, it’s also an area that’s targeted by one fad after another, usually for the purposes of selling a publication penned by an ‘expert’ who claims to have discovered some revolutionary new method of management.
‘One Minute Manager,’ ‘Management by Design,’ ‘Strategic Management,’ ‘Management of the Absurd’ – there’s no shortage of management styles to learn, but are they really as new and effective as their authors claim?
Management Fads are Nothing New
Dr. Craig Dreilinger, Ph.D. who has assisted many organizations engaged in strategic planning and culture change, wrote in 1994: “We saw this pattern in the 1980s and early 1990s with business ethics and quality improvement, and it appears to be recurring with the current penchant for downsizing.
“Moreover, the cycle time of each succeeding fad, as it goes through the now predictable pattern, appears to grow shorter.” (‘Why Management Fads Fizzle’, Business Horizons, Nov-Dec 1994)
Management fads come and go, just like other fads that have their day then disappear. How many pet rocks are around today, or mood rings, or Rubik’s cubes? Yet at one time each of these was a ‘must have’ item.
Management fads are marketed in a similar fashion, although most of them are based on something that’s already being practiced in the world of business and many could be of some value if applied intelligently.
How to Recognize Management Fads
Writing in the Harvard Business Review, Professors Danny Miller and Jon Hartwick identified eight qualities that most business fads share:
- simple,
- prescriptive,
- falsely encouraging,
- one-size-fits-all,
- easy to cut-and-paste,
- in tune with the zeitgeist,
- novel, not radical, and
- legitimized by gurus and disciples.
(Source: ‘Spotting Management Fads’, Harvard business review 80, 2002)
The worst of their characteristics is that blindly adopting one of these fads without really understanding it or its consequences can produce worse management outcomes than if it had never been adopted.
They can become substitutes for in-depth management development and even be seen as a cure-all for management failings. Giving a poor manager a new and often untested set of tools to learn and use is probably not going to result in the creation of a good manager.
When those high-up in an organization try to overlay some new managerial fad onto every level of management in the business it can create serious problems if success doesn’t follow quickly. Top management blames middle management for the perceived failure and morale drops along with productivity.
The fad is eventually discarded and the next attempt at genuine reform is sure to be resisted by those that are needed to carry it out.
Business consultants David Hutton Associates say the costs of this ‘disease’ are massive and include: “...misdirected implementation efforts, lost opportunities to improve the bottom line, and damage to management credibility and employee morale.
“At the heart of this problem is an ongoing cycle of over-promotion, then flawed implementation, finally followed by disillusion and abandonment.” (‘From Chaos to Purposeful Change’, dhutton.com, accessed 7 June 2010)
Avoid the Pitfalls of Faulty Fads
New books on management will always be published and sooner or later one of these ‘revolutionary’ management styles can find its way into even the most conservative organization.
Here are guidelines that can help avoid the problems outlined above and give something new and worthwhile in the way of management a real chance to succeed.
- Study it thoroughly. Don’t just blindly follow one author’s path to publishing riches; read everything available on the topic and be sure to understand it thoroughly before deciding to apply it.
- Know what’s going to happen before it’s implemented. The business outcomes of the changes must be forecast and that includes quantifying all costs and benefits.
- Involve all members of management from the beginning. Give everyone in a managerial role details of the inspirational source and give them a chance to study it. Meet with them and gain their feedback; ask them how they think it will impact on the business and whether they feel positively or negatively about it.
- Work with staff on the way or ways the new management practices will be applied to the business. Give them a feeling of ownership and gain their buy-in or even a good idea may not succeed.
- Source professional training in the new method so that everyone knows precisely what it is they have to do to implement it. Set a realistic timeline for getting the project in place and don’t rush into anything until the knowledge has been acquired by all those who need it.
- Monitor the metrics. Keep track of how close the business is to meeting all predetermined targets and share this information with the staff.
The results of applying new management techniques usually lag well behind the positive outcomes created, and for a time at the beginning there may be negative results. Not all management fads deserve rejection and some can have lasting value for managers and businesses that adopt them intelligently.
Follow these six guidelines and don’t be in a hurry to change the business overnight. If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well, and with the longer-term in mind.
Philip Keeffe - Phil Keeffe is an Australian journalist originally from California who has lived in Sydney since 1968. His communications background ...
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