I believe that “Management by Walking Around” is more of a concept or philosophy than a management style. The major point of contention between the two sides on disagreement is majorly because of the way the people might have tried to practice it.
As per my interpretations of the philosophy the core message is the connection of the manager/management with the ground roots of the team /organization which generally happens through the people being managed. However in this process the following points should always be in consideration-
1- Objective- The manager should always keep in mind the objective of walking around. He is not there to interfere or micro-manage. A manager should be walking around to be a support system for the team. The job of the manager is not to do the things himself and be a part of operational details, his job is more as a support system or enabler for the team to do the job in hand better enabling synergies. A “walking around” manager should always keep in mind his objectives are very similar to a Talk Show Host on a television serial, who doesn’t becomes a better host because he speaks very well but is a better host because he enables the guest on his show look better. Similarly a manager also needs to be a background support and enable his team to achieve better performance.
2- Communication- Secondly, for a philosophy to work successfully the manager needs to effectively communicate in words and actions to the team that works with him. He should ensure that he earns the trust of the team and vice versa. The most important is that he should be able to inspire the team to let him be the support and strive towards the goals. The team should understand that his eternal presence with them is not ONLY for collecting points for the appraisal process (though it is also one thing manager needs to do) but to be a part of team and the guy who would stand by them when they genuinely need him.
3- Fear Factor- The toughest task for the manager is to ensure that his presence is in line with the thin balance of fear factor. The team should not be afraid to approach him despite his presence or be jittery because of his presence; on the other hand should also be aware of who is the boss and though he is in the background but when it comes to calling shots he is the one who would be leading from front. Maintaining the thin line of balance between these two different and opposite objectives is a key to be an effective management by walking philosophy.
The managers who follow this policy should ensure the above three points in effective order in their management style. A lot of times people try to follow the management philosophies literally without understanding their essence, this where the detrimental effect starts happening in the teams and organizations.
by Prats | on Tuesday, March 24th, 2009 at 12:01 am | 
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