Conference 7.286::digital

1232.0. "do the right thing!" by SHIRE::GOLDBLATT () Tue Oct 16 1990 11:20

The discussion in this notes file concerning the quality of management and
managers in Digital and what should be done to improve these appears to me
to have neglected one of the most powerful, if not _the_ most powerful,
methods to ensure correct management.  This method, if conscientiously applied,
will not only ensure the best management internaly to Digital but will also
help ensure the best possible commercial success of this company.  

The method is really simple: 

  1) determine where (commercialy) Digital wants to go 
  2) plan how to get there
  3) implement this plan

The part concerning management, as it has been discussed here, is in parts 
2 and 3.  The plan of "how to get there" ought to include the way of 
measuring if "we got there" or how close we've come until now.  Translated 
into Digitalese, this means the job plan and metrics of each organisational 
unit in Digital is aligned so that the hierarchy of business objectives of 
the company is correctly reflected in the objectives of each of the 
employees, and the metrics applied to each can be directly linked, giving 
the equivalent of a feedback loop:

       business objectives ---------> org. unit ------> market place
               ^                        ^                   |
               |                        |                   |
              delta-                    | delta-            |
             objectives                 | metrics           |
               |                        |                   |
               --------------------- mgt. control <----------



A practical example of this is in hardware products.  Neglecting, for
the moment, outside competition, the conceptor, designer, producer, seller 
and servicer of a hardware product would all have their individual 
measurements aligned to attain the objective of first a minimum and 
later an increased market share for the product.  Any problems perceived 
in attaining this objective could, in principle, be correctly traced to the 
performance of one or more of the units in the above list.  The effect of
any corrective (or other) action could be measured.  Applied in this case,
this method automaticaly excludes any delusions of the units as to their
usefulness and efficiency in attaining the agreed objectives.  

It appears evident to me that if this method were systematicaly applied
within Digital it would be very difficult for incorrect management or
other incorrect behavior to be sustained for any great length of time.

In addition to this benefit, the method would ensure correct information
system support for the business and Digital could sell the method as its 
own "style" of managment consultancy.

There's no free lunch, of course, and the implementation of the method
would entail aligning personal objectives with those of Digital.  In
order to obtain the commercial success of Digital within which all of
the employees would prosper, each of these must give up some of his/her
personal freedom of action.

I took a bit a space to explain this, but I hope that you all now agree with
me that this method is of at least equal importance as "employee feedback
on managers" in attaining good quality management for Digital.

David Goldblatt - Europe I.M.

    I don't disagree with what you say, but I think the point of the
    complaints about management is that nobody is concerned with the
    end-state model, or the vision, if you will.  Somehow, the top priority
    of management has evolved into 'maximizing my personal fiefdom' instead
    of 'maximizing my groups profit for Digital'.
    
    I believe that this is the attitude that the "grass-roots" efforts are
    intended to change.  This attitude leads to many of the problems that
    have been reiterated time and time again in this file.  (For exmaple,
    management only has to keep their management happy). Solutions such
    as employee measurement of management are simply ways to attempt to
    modify these attitudes.
    
    Once the mental attitudes change, and all are in agreement with the
    'vision', THEN, and ONLY then, can we even begin to implement your
    steps 2 and 3.  In other words, if management is concerned with
    protecting their feifdom, they don't have time to do the difficult
    cross-functional, cross-turf coordination that will result in a viable
    'plan to get there'.
    
    JMHO,
    
    Dave
    

    I don't think I suggested putting the cart before the horse.  It's
    perfectly true that once the attitudes of employees are benficial
    to the commercial health of Digital, then the steps I proposed could
    be implemented.  But it's also true that once implemented, these 
    steps could bring about the climate for changing these attitudes.  
    The prerequisite remains, however, an agreed (by at least the BOD) 
    set of business objectives for Digital.  Once this is attained, then 
    the rest becomes feasible.  Without this we are litteraly without
    any direction and that fosters chaos.
    
    David