I've had this post kicking around in various pieces for a while.
I don't know if I've said all I want to say, but it's late and I'm
tired so I'm putting it out there ...
Command and control elicits compliance to enforced processes
through management by policy. Focusing on process fixates
management on the means rather than the result. Emphasis is placed
on building hierarchies, formalising roles, and people are viewed
as resources. All this amounts to bureaucracy and adds no value.
Hierarchies introduce protracted decision-making. Decisions made up
the hierarchy typically don't involve the people who will be tasked
with fulfilling the decisions. And consequently, the support from
these people for the decisions is absent. These decisions aren't
easily reversed. All this nonsense doesn't exactly set the project
up for success. I can't think of a better way to demotivate people
and reduce productivity.
Work that is fun and people-oriented is the most powerful
motivator I have encountered. So why not empower people working at
the coal-face? Provide facilitation and let them self-organise and
decide how they will get things done. Decisions made at the
coal-face can be made quickly, allowing them to be delayed until
the latest responsible moment when more information is available.
When a decision doesn't work out, it can be reversed quickly and an
alternative decision taken based on the feedback.
Encourage people to communicate honestly and share information
openly by making everything immediately public and visible. Through
frequent self-inspection, encourage learning and continuous
improvement through adaptation. Don't use a project manager to
drive the project using a project plan. Instead, have the customer
steer the project through continuous collaboration and regular
feedback. Have everyone focus on productivity and delivering
results by making public commitments, agreed by consensus, to
deliver agreed value to the business.
Saturday, 16 September 2006
Command and control? Er, I don't think so
Posted by Simon Baker - Permalink
