Michael Centers
06/03/13
BUSA 3210
Vonda Laughlin
Managing Sucks The book I chose to read and to write about is called “Why Managing Sucks And How To Fix It,” written by Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson. These ladies began working together at Best Buy, Co., Inc., which is where they had the idea that companies should trust their employees to complete their work and also live their lives without having to manage them (Ressler & Thompson, 2013). The authors believed that people want complete autonomy to manage demands in their lives. Thompson says “when you treat people like adults they act like adults and when people are treated like children they act out.” The authors believe companies can change the way they manage …show more content…
and become a Results Only Work Environment (ROWE), which is what it sounds like. The company and its employees focus on results instead of how and when the results are accomplished. In a ROWE company each person is free to do what they want, whenever they want as long as they get their work done (Ressler & Thompson, 2013). While working at Best Buy, the authors implemented ROWE in several of their departments and eventually branched out and started their own company “Culture RX” (Ressler & Thompson, 2013). This idea has gown quite a lot since its beginning, companies and their employees are have both benefitted from adoption of ROWES. Cost is down, profits are up and employees are happy. It is a win: win for everyone involved. Adopting the ROWE principal involves a change at all levels of a company and may take an initial effort to plan and coordinate its implementation. Implementation of ROWE can be challenging for some companies. It takes people thinking differently and more creatively. It is the total opposite direction of traditional management practices. To assist in understanding the ROWE concept the authors developed the following 13 Guideposts. 1. People at all levels stop doing any activity that waste their time, their company’s time, the customers time or the companies money. “Quit attending unproductive meetings and eliminate low priority tasks.” 2. Employees have freedom to work any way they want. “Autonomy exists at all levels.” 3. Everyday feels like Saturday. “People in control of their life every day and not just weekends.” 4.
People have unlimited paid time off, as long as work gets done. “People focus on results not, tracking time.” 5. Work isn’t a place you go, it’s something you do. “Everyone works when and where it makes sense” 6. Arriving at the workplace at 2:00 isn’t considered coming in late and leaving the workplace at 2:00 isn’t considered leaving early. “Focus on results, not the clock.” 7. Nobody talks about the hours they work. “Focus on measurable outcomes instead”. 8. Every meeting is optional. “Question time spent in meetings and make decisions about the necessity of a particular meeting.” 9. It’s okay to grocery shop on Wednesday morning, catch a movie on a Tuesday afternoon or take a nap on a Thursday afternoon. “Managers set clear and measurable goals on a continual basis.” 10. There are no work schedules. “Flexibility doesn’t need to be managed it manages itself.” 11. Nobody feels guilt, overworked or stressed out. “People take care of their own needs as well as business needs.” 12. There aren’t any last minute fire drills. “People become proactive instead of reactive.” 13. There is no judgment about how you spend your time. “Workplace focuses on bottom …show more content…
line.”
Companies may have a difficult time accepting this new idea and way of thinking, as it goes against the traditional approach of managing people. Each company and type of business also presents its own unique challenges to the mix. The ROWE principal has been successfully implemented in many companies and different types of industries. Most companies that have attempted the ROWE have found that it increased profits and made employees happy (Ressler & Thompson, 2013). Companies such as GAP and Banana Republic have implemented ROWE with great success (Ressler & Thompson, 2013). Despite what type of company decides to adopt ROWE, each company should be able to see its benefits and results. Their employees will also see and feel the benefits.
A ROWE focuses on making sure each person understands the job they were hired to do and ensuring they do it.
In a ROWE if you do not produce results you will not have a job (Ressler & Thompson, 2013). “Employees will feel free to make their own decisions, own their own time. Feel attached to the ultimate outcome and contribute to the organization the way they want” (Ressler & Thompson, 2013). Employees in a ROWE company have the privileges to work when and how that suits them best as long as they are producing results. This can benefit the company and the employee. The company will benefit with decreased cost, increased productivity and a sense of unity among their employees. The employees will benefit by better health, less stress, more time for family and personal life and a greater sense of ownership in the company, which ultimately helps everyone including the customer. In a ROWE employees have more time to actually focus on the work they need to do. They are not consumed with filling in the day with time wasting meetings or unnecessary tasks. While they are at work they are focusing on relevant work and actually accomplishing more than they would in a traditional setting. Most employees will have a sense what and where they need to spend their time (Ressler & Thompson, 2013). If looking from an employee standpoint, you would notice greater freedoms and less stress. You may feel more accomplished because time spent at work was actually productive. The ROWE
is steadily expanding, as companies are working towards a solution to attract and retain quality employees in the changing job market. Traditional employees are more commonly looking for a change and better way to deal with their busy lives. The author states that according to the Families and Work Institute: 50 percent of U.S. workers feel overwhelmed by a growing number of job tasks and longer hours (Ressler & Thompson, 2013). If an employee is actually able to focus on actual work and not have their time filled with useless meetings and time wasting tasks, they will be more productive.
An employee’s time is very valuable, both to themselves and the employer but yet, “People across the globe admit to wasting 30 to 80 percent of their time with unproductive meetings” (Ressler & Thompson, 2013). Traditional companies often have many different meetings throughout the month, most of them aren’t necessary. In fact most meetings could be avoided with a phone call or an email. Meetings are often scheduled out of routine instead of necessity, which waste the employee’s time and the company’s money. In a ROWE, meetings are kept to a minimum and only a last resort. Meetings should be optional and have an outcome that it is designed to create (Ressler & Thompson, 2013). Reoccurring meetings are sometimes pointless and are huge time wasters, creating situations where you have to fill in a scheduled block of time. Without unnecessary meetings employees will have more time to focus on results. Some other big time wasters are counting and tracking hours, meeting minimum or maximum hour guidelines, engaging in forced fun such as parties and team building events and constant interruptions in the office (Ressler & Thompson, 2013). Eliminating unnecessary meetings and tasks will help the employee produce results that will help the company achieve its goals.
A ROWE can be a great way to achieve success for the company, the employee and the customer. It promotes a healthier business atmosphere where everyone is focused on results, instead of traditional focuses such as schedules, meetings and managing people. By allowing everyone to focus on the important things a ROWE will manage itself. Managers will no longer have to babysit employees; they will have more time to mentor, coach and help with the success of a company. Employees will be better able to meet the demands of their personal life while still producing results at work. Imagine a work environment where you could come in later or leave earlier, without having to ask permission. Imagine being able to manage work instead of employees. With a ROWE company that is reality and works. When properly implemented it benefits everyone involved. I hope one day, I too will work for a ROWE as it makes so much sense.
Works Cited
Ressler, C., & Thompson, J. (2013). Why Managing Sucks And How To Fix It: A Results-Only Guide To Taking Control Of Work Not People. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.