Bruce Tulgan

We have been tracking the undermanagement epidemic closely for more than 10 years since we first identified it in our research. We've intensified our study of undermanagement since we first reported on it in the landmark report we issued in June 2004. Now we have just released an update on that research.

Here's a summary of our findings: the undermanagement epidemic persists throughout the workplace and is costing organizations a fortune every day.

We define undermanagement as a substantial lack of the management basics in supervisory relationships.

In most organizations, it remains the case that a substantial number of leaders, managers, and supervisors are failing to consistently spend sufficient time in one-on-one management dialogues with their direct-reports. Most leaders, managers and supervisors simply do not take charge on a day-to-day basis. They fail to spell out expectations every step of the way, track performance, correct failure, and reward success. They are afraid to, or they don't want to, or they just don't know how to. This problem is widespread across the workplace, at all levels in organizations in every industry.

On the bright side, we have seen time and again, example after example, when leaders, and managers, and supervisors begin concentrating on back-to-basics management they have tremendous positive results. Like clockwork, productivity and quality improve almost immediately when leaders, managers, and supervisors begin spending time daily in one-on-one dialogues with their direct-reports. Fewer unnecessary problems occur. When problems do occur, they are more likely to be solved quickly while they are still small and containable. Resources are squandered far less often. Personnel issues are usually dealt with quickly and efficiently. Low performers tend to leave. High performers tend to stay and work harder. Most employees experience improvements in their morale and performance.

In 2009, our research found that businesses were most likely to pursue at least one of three strategies to deal with the economic downturn. The number one strategy was cost cutting. Number two was innovation. Number three was improving supervisory relationships and increasing management. Of course, managers who pursued all three of these strategies were by far the most successful. But here's what we found: among managers who only adopted one or two strategies, those who did not pursue the strategy of increasing management and improving supervisory relationships were the managers with the weakest results in 2009. Here is what is even more interesting. Among managers who adopted only one strategy, those who focused on tightening up management relationships, increasing supervision in management, they were the ones with the strongest results in 2009. The single most effective business strategy in 2009 in the midst of this terrible economic crisis we've all just lived through was improving supervisory relationships and increasing performance management. That was the single most effective strategy.

BONUS MANAGEMENT BEST PRACTICE
Make a list of all the real world obstacles that might get in your way or might make it difficult for you to be a strong highly-engaged manager. If you choose, you could make such a list over the course of the next week, adding real world obstacles as you encounter them. Remember, these are real world obstacles, so you can't make them disappear. But maybe you can start chipping away at them. Examine each real world obstacle, one by one, and ask yourself:
- What aspects of this obstacle are totally beyond my control?
- What elements of being a stronger more highly-engaged manager can I start practicing without any permission from anybody?