Management by Fad

Management is always an interesting topic in the world of business. It’s something that some of us do better than others, and it requires a diverse set of skills that it never hurts to update or refresh. 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” that 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 as their authors would have you believe? Are they something that could add value to your business life, or are they just a rehash of the same old stuff with a few new twists?

Management fads come and go, just like other fads that have their day then disappear. How many lava lights do you have in your home now, or mood rings, or Rubik’s cubes? Yet at one time each of these was a “must have” item.

Management fads are similar, 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. So the real question is, which management “fads” are worth considering for use in your firm?

One of the best things about management fads is that they quickly become topics of discussion. Everybody knows about them and is eager to add his or her comment to the conversation, so they generally get a good airing among those most likely to adopt them. They often incorporate terminology or “buzzwords” that quickly spread into popular use and inspire the media to examine them.

Another benefit is that anybody who seriously works to try one of these fads has to make an evaluation of their own management style somewhere along the way and that’s always helpful.

The worst aspect is that blindly adopting one of these fads without really understanding it or its consequences can produce worse management outcomes than before its adoption. 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.

Sad to say, 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.

But new books on management are always going to be published and sooner or later you may read one that inspires you to implement its contents in your organization. Here are some guidelines to help you can avoid the problems we’ve mentioned and give something new in the way of management a real chance to succeed.

1. Study. Whatever it is you want to try, study the subject carefully. Don’t just blindly follow one author’s road to publishing riches; read everything you can on the topic and be sure you understand it thoroughly before even beginning to apply it in your firm.

2. Know what’s going to happen before you start. You must be able to predict the business outcomes of the changes you’re implementing and that includes quantifying their costs and their benefits.

3. Involve your team from the beginning. Give everyone in a managerial role a copy of your 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 your firm and whether they feel positively or negatively about it.

4. Work with your team on the way or ways the new management practices will be applied to the firm. Give them a feeling of ownership and gain their buy-in or even a good idea probably won’t succeed.

5. Train. Develop a training course 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, from top management to junior team members.

6. Monitor the metrics. Keep track of how close you are to meeting all your targets and share this information with your team. The results of applying new management techniques usually lag well behind the positive outcomes created, and for a time at the beginning you may even see negative results.

Not all management fads deserve rejection and some can have lasting value for those that adopt them intelligently. Follow these six guidelines and don’t be in a hurry to change your firm overnight. If it’s worth doing it’s worth doing with the longer-term in mind.

Copyright 2004, RAN ONE Inc. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission from www.ranone.com.