Organisational behaviour is all about taking control

Nabil Hossain was joining a new company as general manager (GM). The ‘handing over –taking over’ was arranged on the last day of the departing GM.  A reception event was also organised to welcome the new GM and also bid farewell to the old one.   Speeches were made highlighting outstanding performance of the departing GM.  Flower bouquets, gifts, etc. were presented to him.  In his final speech the departing GM, with a saddened tone of voice, told the employees that he would be missing the work place and the staff he loved and cared most.   When he left the premises, Nabil discovered that most employees seemed to be happy for the GM’s departure as expressed through their facial expression - a sign of relief.    Nabil’s face flushing with embarrassment wondered why people didn’t give his predecessor a respectful send-off. The first thing that Nabil thought, “How could I ensure that my eventful departure wouldn’t be a sign of relief for my subordinates when I left?   “The people would probably dislike me, too,” Nabil thought, “if for no other reason than that I represented obsolete authority and command.”  “That’s okay”; he thought, “Being likeable is neither a KPI for him nor a job requirement”.  But what was essential was to be respected, trusted and effective.  Thinking of those wild jeers and boos Nabil realised that he had a long way to go before he really took COMMAND. In the wake of this awkward reception, Nabil ordered his assistant to bring all previous exit interviews and employee surveys to find out people’s opinions and feelings and also to find reasons as to why people were leaving the job .  He assumed that low pay would be the number one reason but in fact it was fifth.  The top reason was not being treated with dignity; second, was being prevented from making an impact on the organisation; third, not being listened to; and fourth, not being rewarded with more responsibility.  These all were an eye opener for him.

He took a simple organising principle:  The key to success is to see the operation through the eyes of the employees.  He believed that only then he would be able to find out what was really wrong in the workplace.  He helped employees to empower themselves.  “Delegate authority and empower subordinates”, was his functional principle.  He delegated authority to section heads and strictly ordered to do away with ‘micromanagement’ so that individuals would be accountable for accomplishing their tasks.  High-up’s involvement in micromanagement disempowers employees below – he made it clear and loud.      

The second assumption was that Nabil thought the secret to lasting change is to implement processes that people will enjoy doing.  He asked all employees to suggest how to further improve work processes and bureaucracy.  He took their suggestions seriously and implemented them.  The employees felt elated and became jubilant.  

He emphasised on having fun as they worked; a lot of times he encouraged them to have fun for fun’s sake.

The third most important policy he floated was “Open Door Policy”.   He listened to all employees irrespective of rank and file.  Literally he kept his door open and ordered all his managers to follow suit.  Whenever an employee had to say anything could walk into his room and discuss.  He also conducted a quick half an hour morning meeting with line managers.  Jobs pending and jobs to be done were discussed.  Problems, bottlenecks, solutions to problems were talked about and action course agreed upon.   He provided clear guidance and ensured that decisions so taken were cascaded down to the lowest level.  These meetings started on time and ended on time.

Another very useful system Nabil introduced was MBWA, Management By Walking Around.  He gave floor rounds, observed workers’ working, often inquired about their family and health.  During these rounds, he tested if the morning meeting decisions were shared with them or not.  MBWA at random enabled him to check with employees, equipment, or the status of ongoing work.  He preferred wandering as an unplanned movement within a workplace, rather than a planned tour where employees expect a visit at scheduled times.  This practice of random sampling of events or employee discussions facilitated improvements to employee morale, developed sense of organisational purpose, increased productivity and TQM (total quality management) of the organisation.  MBWA is an opportunity for him to identify problems and build relationship i.e. getting to know his workers’ lives as they happen.  “It is always a valuable experience because you get to see the good and the bad”, he told his lieutenants.  

The next attention he gave was to Cafeteria.

 Good and hygienic food was arranged.  A committee was formed to run the show.  Weekly menu was fixed.  People could order food ‘ala carte’.  Music system was introduced, LED TV installed for viewing during breaks.

These were the initial start-up strategy that Nabil took up. The situation gradually started improving.  People began to sound their happiness.  Employee migration was reduced to minimum.  Productivity increased.   An ambience of peace and harmony prevailed at all levels.  

After about a month of his taking over he called in a meeting of all employees where he unveiled his future plan:

Reward and punishment:  He declared that employees would be judged by their performance only. Good performers would be rewarded and bad performers would be discarded.

Training & Development:  TNA would be conducted to identify skill development needs.  Training would be organised both in-house and out-house with internal and external facilitators.

Promotions would be considered only for those who deserved.  It would be purely based on merit.  Impartiality in the process would not be tolerated.

Policy and procedures:  Every employee must follow the existing policy and procedures.

Should there be need for amendment to policy, would be dealt with accordingly. Trespassers would be disciplined.

At the end of the meeting, he asked if all the employees agreed to his future plans or not.  Surprisingly, all agreed with a loud voice “YES”.  His taking over COMMAND of the factory was over.  However, he thought that this was just a beginning. …

The writer is senior consultant, Pro-edge Associates Ltd and adjunct faculty, DU.

Organisational behaviour is all about taking control

Nabil Hossain was joining a new company as general manager (GM). The handing over taking over was arranged on the last day of the departing GM. A reception event was also organised to welcome the new GM and also bid farewell to the old one. Speeches were made highlighting outstanding performance of the departing GM. Flower bouquets, gifts, etc. were presented to him. In his final speech the departing GM, with a saddened tone of voice, told the employees that he would be missing the work place and the staff he loved and cared most. When he left the premises, Nabil discovered that most employees seemed to be happy for the GMs departure as expressed through their facial expression - a sign of relief. Nabils face flushing with embarrassment wondered why people didnt give his predecessor a respectful send-off. The first thing that Nabil thought, How could I ensure that my eventful departure wouldnt be a sign of relief for my subordinates when I left? The people would probably dislike me, too, Nabil thought, if for no other reason than that I represented obsolete authority and command. Thats okay; he thought, Being likeable is neither a KPI for him nor a job requirement. But what was essential was to be respected, trusted and effective. Thinking of those wild jeers and boos Nabil realised that he had a long way to go before he really took COMMAND. In the wake of this awkward reception, Nabil ordered his assistant to bring all previous exit interviews and employee surveys to find out peoples opinions and feelings and also to find reasons as to why people were leaving the job . He assumed that low pay would be the number one reason but in fact it was fifth. The top reason was not being treated with dignity; second, was being prevented from making an impact on the organisation; third, not being listened to; and fourth, not being rewarded with more responsibility. These all were an eye opener for him. He took a simple organising principle: The key to success is to see the operation through the eyes of the employees. He believed that only then he would be able to find out what was really wrong in the workplace. He helped employees to empower themselves. Delegate authority and empower subordinates, was his functional principle. He delegated authority to section heads and strictly ordered to do away with micromanagement so that individuals would be accountable for accomplishing their tasks. High-ups involvement in micromanagement disempowers employees below he made it clear and loud. The second assumption was that Nabil thought the secret to lasting change is to implement processes that people will enjoy doing. He asked all employees to suggest how to further improve work processes and bureaucracy. He took their suggestions seriously and implemented them. The employees felt elated and became jubilant. He emphasised on having fun as they worked; a lot of times he encouraged them to have fun for funs sake. The third most important policy he floated was Open Door Policy. He listened to all employees irrespective of rank and file. Literally he kept his door open and ordered all his managers to follow suit. Whenever an employee had to say anything could walk into his room and discuss. He also conducted a quick half an hour morning meeting with line managers. Jobs pending and jobs to be done were discussed. Problems, bottlenecks, solutions to problems were talked about and action course agreed upon. He provided clear guidance and ensured that decisions so taken were cascaded down to the lowest level. These meetings started on time and ended on time. Another very useful system Nabil introduced was MBWA, Management By Walking Around. He gave floor rounds, observed workers working, often inquired about their family and health. During these rounds, he tested if the morning meeting decisions were shared with them or not. MBWA at random enabled him to check with employees, equipment, or the status of ongoing work. He preferred wandering as an unplanned movement within a workplace, rather than a planned tour where employees expect a visit at scheduled times. This practice of random sampling of events or employee discussions facilitated improvements to employee morale, developed sense of organisational purpose, increased productivity and TQM (total quality management) of the organisation. MBWA is an opportunity for him to identify problems and build relationship i.e. getting to know his workers lives as they happen. It is always a valuable experience because you get to see the good and the bad, he told his lieutenants. The next attention he gave was to Cafeteria. Good and hygienic food was arranged. A committee was formed to run the show. Weekly menu was fixed. People could order food ala carte. Music system was introduced, LED TV installed for viewing during breaks. These were the initial start-up strategy that Nabil took up. The situation gradually started improving. People began to sound their happiness. Employee migration was reduced to minimum. Productivity increased. An ambience of peace and harmony prevailed at all levels. After about a month of his taking over he called in a meeting of all employees where he unveiled his future plan: Reward and punishment: He declared that employees would be judged by their performance only. Good performers would be rewarded and bad performers would be discarded. Training Development: TNA would be conducted to identify skill development needs. Training would be organised both in-house and out-house with internal and external facilitators. Promotions would be considered only for those who deserved. It would be purely based on merit. Impartiality in the process would not be tolerated. Policy and procedures: Every employee must follow the existing policy and procedures. Should there be need for amendment to policy, would be dealt with accordingly. Trespassers would be disciplined. At the end of the meeting, he asked if all the employees agreed to his future plans or not. Surprisingly, all agreed with a loud voice YES. His taking over COMMAND of the factory was over. However, he thought that this was just a beginning. The writer is senior consultant, Pro-edge Associates Ltd and adjunct faculty, DU.