Will Sr. Managers Change? LO7573

Rol Fessenden (76234.3636@CompuServe.COM)
23 May 96 10:19:13 EDT

Replying to LO7494 --

Bill states,

Empowerments chances seem dim for many reasons off the top of my head.

As stated earlier in this group, most managers (not all) are "control
freaks". Put another way, based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator data
collected over many decades, all have J preferences (80-90%). This
preference makes it tough to let go of control issues.

Another thought is that as Wheatley says organizations want order and
predictability...giving up the "illusion" of control I believe scares the
hell out of most managers.

=== end of qutoe ====

The feeliing I get from this is that it is basically out of our control.
Empowerment will never happen because of "them", and "we" are powerless to
change that. If that is true, then 'we' should just go watch TV and wait
for 'them' to come to their senses.

But I am not convinced that the issue is control. Bill makes the correct
point that most managers are 'J'. However, that is different and more
complex than being a 'control freak'. Also, J's behavior is mitigated by
the other dimensions, especially N-S and T-F. My suggestion is that Js do
not care about control so much as they do about accomplishment. They have
a clearly defined end point in mind, and they want to get there. Once
they identify a method, they may be rigid about sticking to that method.
However, before they have done that, they will be open to alternatives.
That is the time to pounce. Offer them a clear plan -- that is more than
just 'we'll take care of it' -- that results in achieving the goal and
minimizes their effort. Give them a timeline. Get their permission. Keep
them informed on progress. Get it done. On time.

This is the essence of TAKING empowerment rather than waiting for it to be
given.

-- 

Rol Fessenden LL Bean, Inc. 76234.3636@compuserve.com

Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>