Get Out and Walk the Talk

03/05/07

Author Tom Peters popularized the term “management by walking around.” The idea behind MBWA, as it is known, is simple: Managers can be a lot more effective when they wander around their departments, factory floors, retail shops, or any other work site. They hear about and help solve problems firsthand, pick up anecdotal evidence that products or programs are working or failing, generate excitement for new initiatives, and show the troops that they care.

HR Solutions, Inc., a Chicago-based consulting firm, offers these suggestions for making sure managers take advantage of the benefits of MBWA:

Senior managers should schedule MBWA sessions in their planners. That assures the practice is not left to chance.

MBWA should be a part of senior managers’ performance evaluations and, possibly, part of the formula used to calculate bonuses. Doing so sends a message: MBWA is important to the success of this organization.

Managers can best engage employees by asking how their day is going, what barriers they face, what problems they see, how the organization could do better, and how management can help them do a better job.

Managers should have the authority to delegate some of the agreed-upon actions that come up during a MBWA session. Otherwise MBWA may become a burden.