Management Practices | “New management concepts” abroad are transforming the workplace

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This post was last edited by lovelife1997 on 2019-3-30 07:05. Management Practices | New management concepts abroad are transforming the workplace — The knowledge economy reshaping organizations and management — Nankai Business School — London Business School — \"The work patterns we inherited from the industrial era have turned us into prisoners.\" ”Professor Julian Birkinshaw said this. From industrial-type work to knowledge-based work, from relying solely on labor to mass-produce standardized products to relying on the wisdom of all employees to design and produce innovative products, as the nature of work changes, are the management methods of the industrial era still applicable in an era where there is a growing demand for mental labor? Dr. David Bulkuš of the London Business School mentioned some highly controversial and even revolutionary management concepts that challenge our fixed ways of thinking. Those management concepts that seem unlikely, or even run counter to what most companies do today, are being adopted by many world-class firms and are gradually spreading. 1. Eliminate email: Some global business leaders have found that banning or restricting employees’ use of email makes their work more efficient. By \"prohibition\" or \"restriction\" referred to here, what is meant is the attempt to find better internal communication networks, in order to prevent employees from having their attention distracted by notifications of new emails; moreover, switching between multiple tasks also places a lot of stress on them. Research shows that, contrary to popular belief, email does more harm than good. 2. Customer first? No, it is the employees who, in a service-oriented business model, consider the services received as the quality of the product. Satisfied and efficient employees are better able to engage in high-quality communication with customers, thereby delivering a high-value experience. Therefore, by putting employees first, customers receive better service and become more loyal to the company, which in turn brings greater benefits to the company. Other studies have shown that employee satisfaction has a significant impact on customer satisfaction, not only in service industries where employees and customers maintain long-term relationships, but also in business sectors where interactions are infrequent or occur only once, such as retail. 3. Unlimited vacation policy: Netflix founder Hastings and his team wrote in a 128-page slide deck titled “A Cultural Guide to Our Freedom and Responsibility”: “We realize that we should focus on people’s work results, rather than the number of days they work.” Just as we don’t have a nine-to-five workday system, we also don’t need a vacation system. ”Employees can get proper rest when on leave, so that they can be recharged when returning to work. The company wants to let its employees know that it has full trust in them and expects them to work responsibly. In fact, the unlimited leave system is not just about leave; it is about trust. When employees are given trust and freedom to take responsibility for their own actions, there is no need for excessive rules and procedures. 4. Providing a severance bonus: If, after looking for a job, going through interviews, and attending training, you find that the job is not suitable at all, the sunk costs in terms of time, money, and effort invested earlier will exert invisible pressure on you, forcing you to ignore the idea of leaving and to continue enduring the work. Similarly, the company has also invested heavily in finding and training new employees. Therefore, for both employees and companies, sunk costs can make it extremely difficult to end a established relationship, and offering severance benefits can help alleviate this burden to some extent. Even if employees leave for bonuses, the company isn’t actually at a loss. By giving these employees, who are highly likely to commit misconduct in the future, an option to leave on their own, the company saves a great deal in the long run. Furthermore, severance pay allows employees to consider whether they value money more or the company and culture more. When new employees stay despite not accepting the bonus, the company gains not only that amount of money but also their dedication and efficiency. 5. Transparent salaries: Research shows that lack of transparency regarding salaries reduces overall employee performance and creates stress in the work environment. Many companies keep the method for calculating employee salaries secret. If salaries are transparent, it will reshape employees’ belief in being respected and treated fairly. Taking gradual steps toward transparency will enhance a sense of fairness and engagement, ultimately leading to a significant improvement in employees’ performance. 6. Say No to traditional performance evaluation. Many companies have found that strict performance management systems do not help employees improve their performance; rather, they hinder it. Employees pay close attention to their own ratings, and the entire evaluation process turns into discussions about \"why it is this way\" and \"why not that way\", rather than serving as an opportunity to provide meaningful feedback. It would be wise to abandon these outdated assessment methods and turn to more effective approaches. For example, there are more frequent and informal meetings between managers and employees. The company no longer uses a rating system ranging from \"excellent\" to \"failing\" to assess performance; instead, it gives each manager the authority to decide on salaries, assigning them a certain budget so that they can distribute it according to how well each employee meets the expected standards. Frequenter conversations can **reduce the time spent on evaluation; without annoying scoring or rating systems, companies can still focus on performance. 7. The entire team participates in the recruitment process; it should be the applicants’ future colleagues who decide whether they can stay. Behind this simple philosophy lies a solid fact: an individual’s performance is not entirely determined by the individual themselves. It is very difficult to determine the performance potential of new employees, and it is even more challenging to know whether such an employee can realize that potential—especially when the person making the judgment is just a manager. The most accurate way to assess performance potential is to have team members who are most likely to influence its realization provide their evaluations. Involving the entire team in the recruitment process not only emphasizes the importance of the team but also helps to address the issue of candidates who appear excellent but are actually inconsistent in their behavior. 8. Assemble a team like in a Broadway show. As the nature of work changes, today’s “knowledge-based” jobs are not like manual tasks – they are more unpredictable and harder to manage, with job content and costs constantly changing. Thus, excellent leaders began to realize the need for an organizational structure that could adapt to changes, one that assembled the best teams based on tasks and products rather than relying on rigid frameworks. Many companies have begun to build networks of fluid relationships rather than rigid hierarchies, allowing employees to form teams freely based on projects. Just like Broadway musicals, people maintain long-term working relationships with one another and collaborate on different musicals repeatedly; as new shows are introduced, the members of the team often take on different roles. 9. Fire the management team. Traditionally, the responsibilities of management include planning, organizing, commanding, controlling, reporting, and measuring. As the nature of work changes, many companies choose to abandon traditional management structures and allow employees to take responsibility for these tasks on their own – to manage themselves or at least decide for themselves how to be managed. Research shows that employees are most efficient and engaged when they can control their own destiny, rather than leaving it to managers. To harness the motivational power that comes with autonomy, leaders do not need to give up control entirely or fire all managers, but they need to consider how existing structures limit employees’ perception of freedom and how they become obstacles to an organization reaching its full potential. 10. Celebrating departures: How should leaders say goodbye to employees who are leaving—by celebrating or avoiding it? This not only affects the departing employees but also those who remain, ultimately impacting the success of both the old and new companies. According to a study, 67% of companies have networks of former employee organizations. Any company can use its network of former employees to maintain a competitive position within broad industry networks. Many companies have begun to realize that efforts to keep former employees in touch with each other and to establish appropriate organizational structures can yield significant benefits.