While reading about Henri
Fayol (Wren & Bedeian, 2009) and his belief that management is a
science for study reminded me of the many times I have seen employees
who are technically outstanding meet their downfall when they become
managers. Often, in the business world, employees who excel technically
are promoted to manage teams, as leading teams is viewed as the next
step and even reward for those who are exceptionally talented in a
particular technical aspect. Fayol’s view that management should be
studied apart from technical matters in school (Wren & Bedeian,
2009), holds true today in manufacturing and office workplaces.
I once worked in the marketing department of a software company, where prolific software engineers were promoted to management roles as the company grew and expanded rapidly. But while those software engineers might have been excellent project managers or visionary programmers, they often lacked the administrative skills that their new management roles required; consequently these excellent employees were challenged as managers and often failed.
The problems these individuals had in managing were articulated in Fayol’s fourteen principles, including authority, discipline, and unity of direction. (Wren & Bedeian, 2009). The skills and faculties that made them successful at writing software code were quite different. If the individual was promoted from within the team, often they faced the challenge of asserting authority and discipline over their former colleagues.
From the perspective of an internal communications manager whose role it was to ensure that managers were defining their teams’ role in the business vision and direction, I saw the challenges these inexperienced managers were facing in understanding how to plan, manage employees, goal setting, all things that Fayol listed in his principles. To this firm's credit, management did recognize the issue and sought professional managers for some key roles and implemented a management training and mentorship program to groom and develop managers from within the ranks of the technically skilled.
References
Wren, D.A., Bedeian, A.G. (2009). The evolution of management thought. Danvers, MA: John Wiley & Sons.
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I once worked in the marketing department of a software company, where prolific software engineers were promoted to management roles as the company grew and expanded rapidly. But while those software engineers might have been excellent project managers or visionary programmers, they often lacked the administrative skills that their new management roles required; consequently these excellent employees were challenged as managers and often failed.
The problems these individuals had in managing were articulated in Fayol’s fourteen principles, including authority, discipline, and unity of direction. (Wren & Bedeian, 2009). The skills and faculties that made them successful at writing software code were quite different. If the individual was promoted from within the team, often they faced the challenge of asserting authority and discipline over their former colleagues.
From the perspective of an internal communications manager whose role it was to ensure that managers were defining their teams’ role in the business vision and direction, I saw the challenges these inexperienced managers were facing in understanding how to plan, manage employees, goal setting, all things that Fayol listed in his principles. To this firm's credit, management did recognize the issue and sought professional managers for some key roles and implemented a management training and mentorship program to groom and develop managers from within the ranks of the technically skilled.
References
Wren, D.A., Bedeian, A.G. (2009). The evolution of management thought. Danvers, MA: John Wiley & Sons.
By Nik
ReplyDeleteThat is great they were able to recognize what the rift in their management staff's ability was. When upper management can't see the reason their managers are failing it can cause an organization to really stumble. Do you think that any person can be groomed into a manager?
By Christina
ReplyDeleteInteresting question, Nik. I have often wondered if managers are born, not made. When I worked at Prudential, we were encouraged to take a variety of courses on coaching for lower-level managers, which at least addressed the need to provide a foundation for best management practices. On the negative side, I have encountered many individuals in supervisory positions who practiced "management by exception" or were just in it for the money and prestige. I think that many who are groomed for management positions eventually falter due to personality issues and lack of organizational skills that hinder their progress.
Cynthia, interesting how your post shows that the best employees might not be the best managers. Fayol commented on this problem, but also thought of it in the reverse: “A leader who is a good administrator but technically mediocre is generally much more useful to the enterprise than if he were a brilliant technician but a mediocre administrator" (Wren & Bedeian, p. 214). So, do you think someone can step right into a managerial position in your organization without working their way up? Does this somehow violate Weber's ideal bureaucracy?
ReplyDeleteCynthia, do you think that while the newly-promoted managers lacked skills in some of Fayol's principles such as authority and discipline, they had others such as understanding of the employee's responsibilities and challenges and perhaps might better be able to promote esprit de corps? In the interest of "strengths-based" leadership, would these individuals be able to mitigate their weaknesses while leaning heavily on their strengths?
ReplyDeleteCynthia, you raised an interesting thought about promoted staff not being prepared for management. Do you think in many of the technical fields management courses should be an integral part of ones academic curriculum? Taylor and Fayol were both engineers and learned through life and work experiences and trials.
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