I have written before about how more people leave bad managers than bad jobs. I have also featured the dreaded Peter Principle
I have had several bad managers in my long career, and it can really ruin a decent workplace. One problem I have experienced several times is that people are often promoted to manager from another position - in which they excelled - as a reward for excelling. So they were good at another job so given a managerial position as a 'reward,' despite having neither the skills nor the training to be a manager. This was rife when I worked in IT because IT nerds are not typically good with people or bureaucracy.
New managers often barge into their new job and - instead of sitting back and watching how things work - decide that certain things are not logical, and change them immediately. Perhaps to place their stamp on their domain and create a feeling of authority. Often, however, these procedures are in place for a reason. Trying to change well-established procedures can also mean that people will resent the manager and stop going the extra mile because they like their job and their employer.
This brings to mind Chesterton's Fence, a parable by G.K. Chesterton
There exists in such a case a certain institution or law; let us say, for the sake of simplicity, a fence or gate erected across a road. The more modern type of reformer goes gaily up to it and says, "I don't see the use of this; let us clear it away." To which the more intelligent type of reformer will do well to answer: "If you don't see the use of it, I certainly won't let you clear it away. Go away and think. Then, when you can come back and tell me that you do see the use of it, I may allow you to destroy it."
The moral of this is to check why the fence is there before you destroy it.
This tale of Malicious Compliance from Reddit illustrates Chesterton's Fence absolutely perfectly:
I worked for a company that repaired ships and had a dock/main office facility that was located about 30 minutes drive from the main City where most staff lived. Our normal office/workshop hours were standard 7:30 to 4pm. After the ships were "fixed" at this facility they were sailed south, a further 40 minutes drive by car. When this occurred staff would clock in at 7:30 at their normal dockyard office and then pick up tools/equipment for the day and drive their own car with work gear the additional 40 minutes south. Going home was the reverse, leave southern facility at 3:20pm and arrive back at original facility at 4 pm for clock-off. Also returning company tools etc from the days work. This was an accepted practice that every one was happy with it.
New Manager comes along. Says "why are all you people clocking on/off at the main office when you should be starting and finishing at the southern facility 7:30 and 4pm respectively". So next day all staff then drive directly past the office and arrive at the southern facility for 7:30 start. They then have to get tools/equipment for the days work back at the main office. So they then grab one of the site trucks at 7:30am then drive back up to the office (40 minutes)(past where they had just come in their own car) and return (another 40 minutes) and then start work with the days equipment at 8:50am. As there are only 2 site trucks between 20 staff, some workers never get an available truck to get their gear for the day - lots of standing around waiting for equipment and tools. To make things even worse - the reverse had to happen at the end of the day. All equipment needed to be returned to our office each night - so the 1 hour 20 minute return trip also needed to occur so that we could finish at 4pm onsite - as he instructed. This meant equipment needed to start travelling by 2:40pm (to get up and back for 4pm clock-off). This was not a very productive initiative from the new boss and once he started this nonsense the malicious compliance by all staff basically saw him move/be moved on from this position within 6 months - because work completion rates dropped by over 50%. By gosh it was funny when he tried to rescind his directive. We were all having none of it, as we were never obligated to carry company owner equipment in our personal vehicles - we just did this in good faith.
Chesterton also wrote:
Suppose that a great commotion arises in the street about something, let us say a lamp-post, which many influential persons desire to pull down.
A grey-clad monk, who is the spirit of the Middle Ages, is approached upon the matter, and begins to say, in the arid manner of the Schoolmen, "Let us first of all consider, my brethren, the value of Light. If Light be in itself good—" At this point he is somewhat excusably knocked down. All the people make a rush for the lamp-post, the lamp-post is down in ten minutes, and they go about congratulating each other on their un-mediaeval practicality.
But as things go on they do not work out so easily. Some people have pulled the lamp-post down because they wanted the electric light; some because they wanted old iron; some because they wanted darkness, because their deeds were evil. Some thought it not enough of a lamp-post, some too much; some acted because they wanted to smash municipal machinery; some because they wanted to smash something. And there is war in the night, no man knowing whom he strikes.
So, gradually and inevitably, to-day, to-morrow, or the next day, there comes back the conviction that the monk was right after all, and that all depends on what is the philosophy of Light. Only what we might have discussed under the gas-lamp, we now must discuss in the dark.
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