Straitjacket process - rigid on approach
I AM SURE you would have encountered this type of manager some time or the other in your career. What we are talking about here is the manager who follows a set path or a fixed process when it comes to doing things. Such a manager will typically say this is how marketing is done or this is how a client meeting is conducted or even telling his team the 'correct' way a report is made. Such people are easy to identify and you can make them out from their first day on the job because they start off with their typical way of doing things and advise others to do things the same way as well.
Such managers have a set approach to do everything on the job and they are least flexible and unwilling to make any changes in the process. They firmly believe that the process they have devised is the best way to do things and they will repeat the same way of doing things job after job.
Managers with such a straitjacket approach to doing things can prove to be dangerous to the organisation. Commonsense tells us that each business is different and a one-size-fits-all solution will just not work for every type of business situation. It would be foolish and even a risky proposition to try a single formula for every problem. Such managers have a tendency to apply their method straight on with an amazing confidence that it will definitely work. They do not stop and assess the business situation before putting their method to work because they are very sure it will work. This can prove to be damaging to the business.
It is a given that each business is different from the other and no single process can work for all of them. These managers miss this important point, they believe that if their plans succeed in one business, it is bound to succeed in the next as well. They gain no real experience in their jobs because when different situations demand different plans of action they use the same approach and eventually are unable come up with new solutions to problems. Their experience in different jobs does not really count because of their straitjacket approach. Such people can succeed in jobs where the conditions are stable and there is a predictability in the situation.
But when it comes to finding new methods to do things as the situation demands, they are at a loss. Companies who hire such mangers eventually learn about their mistake because such managers simply disintegrate under the pressure of a situation where their solution just does not seem to work.
During the hiring process companies must be careful to look out for such managers. One way to test if a candidate has a straitjacket approach to problems is to ask him to define his understanding of the business and how he would use his past experience to solve any problems that may come up in such an environment.
If the candidate does not think beyond his own formulaic solution he will hardly ask anything about the company but instead reel of his solution. But a more mature manager will try to get a better understanding of the business by asking questions and then giving his answer.
Hiring a manager who has a fixed solution to every problem will do more harm than good to the business.
And even if such a manager does exist in a company, the employer can ask him to do more research and try and get an understanding of the problem before implementing any plan.
When such managers are coached to study the situation and come up with innovative solutions, it will open their eyes to what they have missed so far. After all it is never too late to change.
HG
faqs@cnkonline.com
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Opportunities
