@3: kinda interesting sounds like a typical command & control structure. The answer would be (theoretically?) “leadership” like in the form that is expressed by Marvin Bower’s (McKinsey) “The Will to Lead”.

thx for the inspiration, just got some news ideas and association

Grandin describes the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) audit process that measures animal welfare at a farm or slaughterhouse :

“My HACCP system works by analyzing the *critical control points* in a farm animal’s well-being. I define a critical control point as a single measurable element that covers a multitude of sins. For instance, when I’m auditing the animals on a farm, one thing I want to know is whether the animals’ legs are sound. There are a lot of things that can affect a cow’s ability to walk: bad genes, poor flooring, too much grain in the feed, foot rot, poor hoof care, and rough treatment of the animals. Some regulators will try to measure all of these things, because they think a good audit is a thorough audit.

But that’s not my approach. I measure one thing only: *how many cattle are limping?* That’s all I need to know, just how many cattle are limping. That one measure covers the multitude of sins that can cause cattle to go lame. If too many animals are limping, the farm fails the audit and that’s it. The only way the farm can pass the next audit is to fix whatever it is that’s making their animals lame….” (p. 267)

Grandin’s audit involves only 5 easy measurements (with clear standards for acceptability) and 5 abuse behaviors that confer automatic failure.

“The plants love it, *because they can do it*. The audit is totally based on things an auditor can directly observe that have objective outcomes. A steer either moos during handling or he does not.

Another important feature of my audit: people can remember two sets of five items. That level of detail is what normal working memory is built to hold on to.” (p. 268)

Grandin then discusses why she thinks that highly verbal people tend to construct elaborate audit processes that fail to improve the conditions they are intended to control. Her ideas here are worth following up.

How to apply Grandin’s ideas to settings other than the slaughterhouse? A manager must deeply understand the entire process s/he is trying to manage, in order to develop a relevant set of critical control points. Once you have a good audit system, you don’t need to micromanage in order to have control. Audit scores measure output, not input. You reward any creative idea that improves the scores.

Of course, getting YOUR set of critical control points is the hard part!

BTW, Grandin is a wonderful example of the benefits of diversity in your workforce. Her considerable handicaps are her advantage for seeing what we do not.

As a former reporter one of my favorite stories was covering Gore – the creativity, mutual support and positive spirit there was captivating to be around.

Kudos to you, Richard, for highlighting this valuable book and Holstein’s thorough review.
- Kare
movingfrommetowe.com

One thing I’ve noticed is a strong generational difference in management styles, and I also think this is also related to the perception many of Boomer generation have that the Millennial is lazy and self-obsessed.

Many Boomers in leadership positions whom I’ve encountered in my life have had a hard time loosening up their control on their employees. They may theoretically understand the importance of creativity, but in practice, they still are focused on command-and-control. Very frustrating, to say the least!

On #3, I’d point out that there are already very few MBAs in the low to middle management ranks at many tech companies — at least in product development, it’s all technical backgrounds (with people skills varying wildly). I’d agree that “managers evaluating and re-evaluating each action of those below them” is silly, but I’d argue that many of the things people hate about new technology — e.g. that it never quite works the way it should — can be traced to failures of management. The best tech managers I’ve seen act more as champions for the ideas of their teams and coordinators of the responsibilites that cross team boundaries, both essential roles.