What's a manager to do?

Let's start with a few suppositions.  First, many of us work in either the information economy or the service economy.  That means we deal with people or information, not machines.  Second, most of us are "knowledge workers" - that is, we add value through our knowledge rather than through our muscles.  So, a logical conclusion is that a knowledge worker should have the information to operate without a lot of oversight, since he or she knows the job, the effort required and has the information or knowledge to accomplish it.

So, what's a manager to do in this situation?  If we were in a Tayloristic era, we'd say that a manager issued orders to people that the manager ensured were carried out, according to some guidelines about the amount of time necessary to complete the work.  Taylor is the father of scientific management, but his methods seem a little heavy handed in a knowledge economy.  If people know their responsibilities, understand their roles and have the knowledge necessary to add value to the product or process, what value does a manager add?

I think in the modern economy, a manager can add at least three valuable attributes:  translation, clarity and resolution.  Let's drill down into each just briefly.

By translation, I mean that managers are often called on to "translate" the goals and directions from the CEO on down into actions and plans that people can work on.  Rather than allow each person to decide how to translate a new policy or goal and act accordingly, businesses use managers to ensure a more consistent translation of the corporate edicts.  Managers also understand which communications from "on high" are meaningful and meant to change the business, and which are messages intended for the markets or consumers. 

By clarity, I mean that managers can sharpen the differences that begin to blur within a knowledge process.  In Taylor's time, a person's role or responsibility was defined by a specific task, usually tied to a machine.  In our more fluid knowledge based economy, it can become difficult to determine who "owns" a task and where that task begins and ends.  Which leads to the third important role - resolution.

There are a number of undercurrents in any organization, and within any business process.  Managers help determine how the work is defined and where it "begins and ends".  This means stepping in when the boundaries are unclear or the scope is poorly defined - which is quite frequent. 

Note that a good manager, according to my definition, doesn't tell people what to do or how to accomplish their tasks, but removes roadblocks and makes the way clear to be more productive.  Clearly, the other important role that managers have is to identify and grow talent.  Unfortunately, many managers don't place enough emphasis on helping the individuals within their teams grow and improve their capabilities.  Ultimately, a manager succeeds when the people who reported to him grow into new capabilities and roles.

There's still a very important role for managers in a knowledge based organization, and their value lies in helping define and clear the way for their teams, and growing the capabilities of their teams.  How many managers are trained to think this way?   I suspect that many still believe their job is to dictate how work should be accomplished, rather than acting more as a coach and a mentor.

Comments

[Stuart Marks]

Good description of management of knowledge workers. I'd add to your list the making of priority calls and tradeoffs. By "priority" I mean not only "do X first because it's more important than Y." To me it also means making complex tradeoffs among potentially conflicting business goals. This is sort of a variation of "resolution," but I don't think your definition of resolution captures the idea of resolving conflicting goals.

Unfortunately, I think you're correct that many managers dictate how work is to be accomplished. The usual management cliche is to set broad goals and let the staff execute. This is honored frequently, but more often in the breach than in the observance.

[Management]

This is a great post. I especially like your comments on how managing people is more about removing roadblocks and obstacles to their success and productivity than about telling your people what to do.

[Anton Vishnyak]

That post has actually inspired me to write a follow up post called "Good Insights On Managing Knowledge Workers" expanding on your statement: "ultimately, a manager succeeds when the people who reported to him grow into new capabilities and roles".

Post url: http://theitconsultant.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!E2069F5E4B3A2575!185.entry

[Sivaraman Swaminathan]

Fantastic Post. I really like the comparison you have brought out between the Taylor era and the new knowledge era. I can't agree with you more on how the challenges for a manager has changed from the days of 'managing machines' to 'managing minds'