To manage effectively an entire team, it is essential to be aware of how they work.
What is it that you can be able to walk around?
Walking around and managing It is a method whereby managers take a break from their offices and explore the office to get to know the work of employees more. It’s a need for a random or unstructured schedule so that the staff isn’t expecting to be checked in at a set moment, but managers receive an actual glimpse of what’s going on.
This style of management is known as management with wandering around, or abbreviated as MBWA .
Implementing MBWA results in unplanned interactions with employees, where managers are able to gain information that is new to them. This could relate to:
- Issues
- Routines
- Customers
- Equipment
- Workflows
- Other aspects of business activities.
Managers who keep themselves in their workplace restrict what information they get and the manner in which it is communicated to them. They must sit and wait until employees attend to them, or they must be informed through status reports and meetings with staff.
Through creating spontaneous interactions and randomly sampling tasks employees do, MBWA better reflects the workplace to those in charge of it. Managers also make themselves accessible to employees in a relaxed setting, and allow employees to directly ask questions.
Although this approach might sound time-consuming or unstructured, when it is implemented properly by those with the appropriate expertise, it could provide significant value.
Regular MBWA lets teams share innovative ideas, address issues or poor practices and increase productivity. It also improves the relation between the management and the employees which improves communication and increases trust.
The particulars of the implementation of MBWA depend on the workplace’s design, workspace and daily routine. Moving around the workplace is different than:
- A factory floor is a place in which there may be safety issues
- In a store, staff members are constantly in contact with customers.
But, the aim remains the same: to facilitate unpredictable employee interactions, and improve understanding of processes.
Making MBWA effective requires managers with a high level of emotional intelligence and a wide range of skills for people, such as active listening to, recognition, observation evaluation, as well as the capacity to establish rapport with employees naturally. Managers who want to implement MBWA should possess proficient communication abilities or work towards developing their skills.
The goal of management is to manage through walking around
The purpose of managing by walking around is to help understand the employees better and understand how they operate from a firsthand perspective. MBWA is designed to bring workers and managers to one another, breaking down the barriers while improving communication and providing leaders with an accurate view of their daily operations. This leads to better informed decision-making , and also increases efficiency and morale for employees.
The relationship between management as well as employees can be a challenge for many businesses. A survey conducted by Harris Poll in 2016 exposed the lack of communication between the workforce and their managers.
MBWA is a great tool to help managers improve communication with their employees, and create relationships that enhance the work environment of everyone affected.
Organizations must enhance communication methods to make the employees comfortable enough to come up with innovative ideas. The informal, spontaneous interactions that are created by MBWA may turn into just that and spark innovation, which can impact the overall performance of the team.
While the emphasis is on listening, and managers getting new information, MBWA is a two-way process. Leaders are able to provide helpful information, help employees with specific tasks, help reinforce the values of the business, or provide immediate feedback and appreciation. They may even solve problems quickly and resolve problems that could otherwise cause delays.
Managers are responsible for overseeing many employees, and making the most from their. Companies can implement feedback systems and communications channels as well as invest in analytics and even create KPIs to gauge the performance of their employees, but will these actually help them come closer to knowing their employees?
MBWA is designed to create a bridge between the leadership and employees by allowing them to be able to communicate in a natural way while work is taking place. Managers can experience authentic daily operations, by speaking directly to those who are who are doing the work.
Walking around with management examples
Examples of managing through walking around can be as straightforward as:
- Practical advice on how to handle issues or customers
- Connecting an employee to their colleague from a completely different division, to resolve an issue
- Finding out that the equipment is damaged and needs replacement
- The discovery of an upcoming bottleneck that could delay the date
- Evaluation of the morale of employees
Interaction with employees in direct contact could lead to managers becoming aware of different kinds of information that would not reach them on their workstations.
MBWA is a well-known management method that is used in businesses that are successful.
The former Starbucks chief executive Howard Schultz would be reported to take the time to visit stores on a weekly basis to learn how they were running and have discussions with employees to highlight the company’s principles.
