Leaders creates the very problems they want to avoid.
When power comes from above there is an increased possibility of employees experiencing harassment and bullying. A hierarchy is based on beliefs about POWER. The belief that power is held at the top is reinforced through family life, school, community and work. It espouses the beliefs that
• I’m the boss so it’s my job to fix this situation.
• Asking for help is a sign of weakness. I’ll act as if I know what to do.
• There is no time to build buy-in, just tell staff what to do.
The hierarchy, while important in corporate structure is no longer effective on its own. In fact it’s counterproductive to quality. Believing it their job to GET THINGS DONE NO MATTER WHAT, managers feel justified to holler, intimidate, add projects, tighten deadlines, ignore “annoying questions and push to “Get the job done at any cost.” These beliefs and behaviours limit human potential. Fear and resistance increase as does silence. Problems and personal issues go underground and pop up elsewhere as quality issues – thus a fear-based culture with little room for personal and professional growth.
In a hierarchy, employees, including management, operate according to the way they think their boss wants things done. They serve their boss instead of their team. Assuming they are expected to know what to do, team members have difficulty asking for what they want and need. Conflicts surface. Completing projects in timely ways become difficult. Communication between those who “know” and those who “need to know” is limited. Defects increase. Quality decreases in service and production. Client satisfaction is at stake.
Strong hierarchies limit potential. Huge waste results through fear of pushing back and withholding information. Companies then experience increased apathy, illness, absenteeism and turnover with low moral, low commitment and reduced innovation and creativity, all at a time when the opposite is needed. Employees are easily offended. Litigation appears. These symptoms cause management to cut staff and increases work without dealing with the underlying people problems. In doing this management unintentionally creates the very problems it wishes to avoid, namely poor quality and high costs. Watch upcoming newsletter for next steps on “Leadership Thinking that promotes growth.” (see The bully & the system are one
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Janice Calnan of CALNAN GROUP, Ottawa Ontario, Canada, executive coach, author, specialist in organizational change. Her book SHIFT: Secrets of Positive Change for Organizations and Their Leaders can be obtained through www.janicecalnan.com . Reach Janice at (613) 721-5900 or info@janicecalnan.com .« The job of a leader is to connect her voice with her touch | Home | What leaders & managers must know to manage change »
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