Moving from a Chiefs and Indians Management Style
Moving from a Chiefs and Indians Management Style
In many, if not most, business cultures, we still have pretty much vertical structures of hierarchy. You start at the top with the best paid and end up with the humble worker at the bottom end. In larger organisations this can be eight, ten or more deep!
At the bottom you feel 'done to' at the top, you feel the 'doer' - a much more comfortable spot to be. Guess why!
Yet it need not be this way. Of course there are always going to levels of authority, but wise organisations can soften this with a level of democracy which enables even those at the very bottom of the chain, the 'indians' in the metaphor, to feel like 'chiefs', in how they input into the organisation.
You see, the distinction is almost all emotional. It's about control of your own circumstances - and those circumstances are controlled, not surprisingly, by the chiefs, especially in unenlightened organisations.
And control is such an emotive place to be and so uncomfortable if you have little or none and are almost totally 'done to'.
But what if an enlightened boss gave up some of the control, maybe even most of it, to those workers beneath. In fact by giving up much control, maybe they realise that control and input from the 'many' was better for all and would be a respected and valued (and valuable) place to go.
Bosses would become freer from day to day decisions, and their now co-workers, rather than 'slaves' would be more involved, more able to contribute with the richness of their own ideas and implementation skills. It would be radical, yet how valuable it would be, all round.
It doesn't take much on the micro-organisational level. In fact it takes but one step.
Ask your people what 'they think would work'. Get used to involving them in discussions and letting them have a free rein on the ideas and delivery, as long as the result is at least the one you need.
You might be surprised at how quickly they get the hang of it. In fact, you might be surprised at the results to your business, to your people and, not least, to you.
Moving from a Chiefs and Indians Management Style - To learn more about this author, visit Martin Haworth's Website.
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I've ummed and ahhed about the title for this topic, not wanting to cause offence. So if I do, I don't mean to - the term "Chiefs and Indians" is a metaphor, not a culture statement, so bear with me, it will become clear.
In many, if not most, business cultures, we still have pretty much vertical structures of hierarchy. You start at the top with the best paid and end up with the humble worker at the bottom end. In larger organisations this can be eight, ten or more deep!
At the bottom you feel 'done to' at the top, you feel the 'doer' - a much more comfortable spot to be. Guess why!
Yet it need not be this way. Of course there are always going to levels of authority, but wise organisations can soften this with a level of democracy which enables even those at the very bottom of the chain, the 'indians' in the metaphor, to feel like 'chiefs', in how they input into the organisation.
You see, the distinction is almost all emotional. It's about control of your own circumstances - and those circumstances are controlled, not surprisingly, by the chiefs, especially in unenlightened organisations.
And control is such an emotive place to be and so uncomfortable if you have little or none and are almost totally 'done to'.
But what if an enlightened boss gave up some of the control, maybe even most of it, to those workers beneath. In fact by giving up much control, maybe they realise that control and input from the 'many' was better for all and would be a respected and valued (and valuable) place to go.
Bosses would become freer from day to day decisions, and their now co-workers, rather than 'slaves' would be more involved, more able to contribute with the richness of their own ideas and implementation skills. It would be radical, yet how valuable it would be, all round.
It doesn't take much on the micro-organisational level. In fact it takes but one step.
Ask your people what 'they think would work'. Get used to involving them in discussions and letting them have a free rein on the ideas and delivery, as long as the result is at least the one you need.
You might be surprised at how quickly they get the hang of it. In fact, you might be surprised at the results to your business, to your people and, not least, to you.
Moving from a Chiefs and Indians Management Style - To learn more about this author, visit Martin Haworth's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
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 Moving from a Chiefs and Indians Management Style
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| I've ummed and ahhed about the title for this topic, not wanting to cause offence. So if I do, I don't mean to - the term "Chiefs and Indians" is a metaphor, not a culture statement, so bear with me, it will bec... |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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Dr. John OdaJohn Oda Ph.D NLP is a business peak performance expert, an author, and speaker frequently called upon to provide corporate training, workshops and seminars for many companies in the United States. He is an expert in coaching sales and business professionals in overcoming the behaviors and obstacles that may impede their sales results and affect their bottom line. Since 1995, John has created a speaking bureau such topics, which include: time management, sales training, human diversity, leadership programs and etc. He provides companies with a strategic plan to increase their bottom line by over 25 percent yearly. - Visit Dr. John Oda's Website |
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Bernard ReberBack in late 1992, MS Access hit the streets. About that time the company I managed needed new software to handle their growing client base and I decided to try this new product. I had little difficulty writing and adapting a database to suit us and discovered a hidden talent for programming. A business was born. With business studies and 25 years of management experience in three different countries under my belt, I could offer a unique combination of skills and my customers agreed. From these humble beginnings my software 'invoiceit' emerged in 1999 and has since been taken to 49 states (hello Wyoming, won't you join us?), all across Canada and more than 70 other countries. From the very beginning the program included cashbook accounting, the simplest form of keeping financial business records. The Dictionary.com defines 'cashbook' as "A 'book' in which to record money received and paid out". For 'book' substitute 'simple software' and that's what I'm about. Now I have published Simple Accounting, an inexpensive spreadsheet solution which even you can master. For just $14.95 it costs less than a takeout meal! More at http://www.scrambled-card.com/simple_accounting_main.htm - Visit Bernard Reber's Website |
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 Martin Haworth (Visit Martin's Website) (c) 2008 Martin Haworth is the author of S uper Successful Manager!, an easy to use, step-by-step weekly development program for managers of EVERY skill level. You can get a sample lesson for free at http://www.SuperSuccessfulManager.com.
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