Strengthen Management
Channels that by-pass levels seem to give management added strength, in part by avoiding problems emerging within particular Centres/Levels.
However, the first bypass: CG7 - CG5 seems to be impossible. The organization expects and enables management to use incentives-CG7. However, this cannot and should not affect offers of flexibility-CG5 in response to problematic situations or disruptive changes. Nor should the standard offerings to staff or the showing of consideration for specific employees impact on their incentives. 
Why?
Two ways of looking at this. First: there is no way that adherence to policies-CG6 can be allowed to be bypassed. Second: devising adaptations-CG5 is about maintaining a supportive atmosphere for employees, each and all. Consideration at times of change, whether for one or all, is about being sensitive and responsive so as to maintain supportive bonds: not about incentivizing work generally.
The remaining by-passes are widely used. They strengthen management by enabling:
■ Comprehensiveness CG6 ↔ CG4
■ Versatility CG5 ↔ CG3
■ Restructuring CG4 ↔ CG2
■ Expedience CG3 ↔ CG1
Comprehensiveness: CG6 ↔ CG4
Adhere to Policy-CG6 ↔ Report Performance-CG4
Management seeks certainty. With the goal of comprehensiveness, there is just no room for flexibility-CG5 which could introduce variability and uncertainty. Intrinsic to certainty are qualities like consistency, coherence, and coverage. So these qualities are demanded when reports are produced. For example: reporting must cover all employees; it must use similar categories for describing and assessing; it must take note of all major policies; and so on and on and on.
Both Channels are essential:►
Requiring compliance-CG6U is, not unreasonably, judged insufficient without knowledge that compliance has been forthcoming, at least in key areas. This calls for procedures to be instituted and forms to be used as part of reporting-CG4. With this mindset, a comprehensive coverage of policies and rules is desired, not an ad hoc patchwork full of gaps and inconsistencies. Reporting can also be the stimulus for clarifying and specifying compliance issues in detail.
The function-name of the Channel is: Proceduralization.
An effective structure of roles properly defined-CG6D enables the systematization of reporting-CG4B and performance management. Conversely, reporting can put pressure on how roles are defined and related.
The function-name of the Channel is: Systematization.
These Channels bypass Offering Flexibility-CG5. So here is the source of the complaints about rigidity and bureaucratic red-tape that so often , especially governmental agencies.
Versatility: CG5 ↔ CG3
Devise Adaptations-CG5 ↔ Show Determination-CG3
Flexibility-CG5 is essential to sustain the efforts of employees. Having been banished above, it now re-appears in full force and is the source of versatility in adapting to employees. Management must check directly that its handling of the staff (CG5) is in line with its commitment to empowerment (CG3). Management must not be trapped by reports-CG4 that never tell the whole story, and that may too easily demoralize or undermine the efforts of staff. There are four possible channels here.
Two Channels are essential and also usefully bridge the uniformity v differentiation duality:►
Standardizing offerings-CG5U and matching staff to the work-CG3D need to have a mutual influence. Fairness and expedience in matters like extra holidays, refurbishing offices or compensation will inevitably affect employees in various jobs rather differently. In many cases, the offer may be perceived as coercive, disruptive or demanding. The reverse also holds: the importance of particular staff in particular posts brings pressure to bear when standardized offerings are being devised.
The function-name of the Channel is: making Demands.
Showing consideration-CG5D and maximizing autonomy-CG3U affect each other. The use of autonomy may well produce side-effects that are unexpected and even possibly undesired. Some tolerance for these is required. Showing special consideration may also affect the degree of autonomy of the employee.
The function-name of the Channel is: making Allowances.
Two Channels do not make sense in practice without mediation: ►
Standardize Offerings-CG5U and Maximize Autonomy-CG3U should not directly influence each because these activities are essentially opposites. However, there can be indirect influence e.g. if reports-CG4 showed irresponsibility in, say, the hiring of temporary staff, then new rules that restricted autonomy might follow.
Show Consideration-CG5D and Match the Person to the Work-CG3D should not directly influence each other. Matching staff to work already shows a consideration of differences. Any more would become an interference with proper staff recruiting and posting approaches. Indirect influence via other mediating Centres might occur i.e. via standardizing offerings-CG5U, maximizing autonomy-CG3U, or reporting-CG4B.
Re-Structuring: CG4 ↔ CG2
Report on Employees-CG4 ↔ Assign Authority-CG2
Management needs to bypass the delivery of results-CG3 level if reporting on employees-CG4 raises issues that might be relevant to performance of individuals and teams. The impulse may be negative—delays, failure, incompetence, fraud—or positive—new plans, sudden external changes or a lucky secondment.
This Channel is essential:►
If, say, outcomes are far worse than would reasonably be expected, something has probably gone wrong in the chain of authority. Perhaps no-one had the necessary authority, or perhaps authority was abused or wielded poorly. In any case, the assigning of authority must be checked and either confirmed or appropriately altered. Often just altering one block in the structure is insufficient. Any altering of authority is an alteration of the structure of legitimate power in the organization.
The function-name of the Channel is: Restructuring.
Expedience: CG3 ↔ CG1
Apply Resources-CG3 ↔ Set Expectations-CG1
Management authority can be used to expediently distribute work and use resources so as to ensure efficiency at short notice. If existing authority-CG2B seems to be insufficient to get the work done, management just ignores those arrangements. Two ways exist to ensure that expectations-CG1B are actually delivered by employees-CG3.
Both Channels are essential:►
The well-recognized methods for ensuring work actually gets done are the Channel to maximizing autonomy, named Delegation; and the Channel to matching the person to the work, named: Assignment.
Click for a more detailed picture.
Delegation typically refers to work that a manager might otherwise have done himself—but (as they say) he must «learn to delegate» i.e. activate or enhance the autonomy of a subordinate. Assignment refers to a task or project that was always expected of a subordinate, but was not naturally picked up for some reason (e.g. to avoid its unpleasantness, or due to uncertainty about who should tackle it).
These two channels need to work together with Empowerment, Liberation and Legitimation as well as Arrangements, as shown in the diagram and elaborated here.
NOW:
- There is one final Channel to consider (and all other possible Channels need to be checked).
OR:
Originally posted: 30-Nov-2011