Too Many Cooks Spoil the Broth

Yesterday’s Business & Finance section of The Wall Street Journal (pp. B1, B2) featured an article covering workplace inefficiencies that result when employees are required to report to “too many bosses.” The article notes that “more than two-thirds of employees polled around the world say they have to consult with more than one boss to get their job done…”. And to make matters worse, because those bosses are managing too many employees, “[o]nly about 35% of employees surveyed…say their manager understands their day-to-day work.” While solid managers should be capable of managing multiple subordinate employees, employers should review the way work product is “run up the flagpole” and approvals are obtained. Are they all necessary? Can the process be streamlined? The article illustrates the value of continuous monitoring of workflow processes.