Schlagwort-Archiv: Conception

Penniless managers are worth nothing

After the ghost of planned economy collapsed, large-scale enterprises evolve to huge centralistic administrative bodies. After years of lean management, culture, hierarchies rigidify, which undermine their intended claim for a flat structure with the subordination of equal levels. The return to functional organizations covers the inability to base the organization on processes. The cross charging of deliverables create an internal market in which specific amounts are negotiated and paid with the transfer of budgets – wooden nickels from the left to the right pocket. The degree of bureaucratization can be seen via the necessary reports and guidelines. More and more employees serve an overhead of project, planning and budget reports. At the same time, the guidelines evolve to one entanglement of regulations that cannot be conveyed or obeyed anymore. The crucial error is however the new approach to realize savings, namely to decide right at the top any outward cash flow. Yet it is forgotten that leaders are worth nothing without financial means.

Mittellosemanager01

What do doers need in order to fulfill their tasks?

  • Apart from the personal characteristics that constitute leaders, like integrity, decisiveness and customer focus, the following tasks should be fulfilled: Self-management, conception, coordination, communication and cooperation.
  • The tasks, authority and responsibility specify the scope of action. The tasks describe the activities that are to be mastered. The authority determines the decision, directive and action powers. The responsibility obligates the superior on the decided approach and the goals. On this basis the personal evaluation and remuneration are done.
  • The allocation of a cost center and the equipment with sufficient budget is an important part of the authority. Like the fuel tank of a car, the available funds limit the scope that a decision maker can cover. Penniless leaders have actually no chance to contribute value-adding results.
  • Bosses as entrepreneurs in the enterprise need a comprehensible business model. Within the business idea, the target audiences, the deliverable portfolio and the clearly outlined scopes are specified.
  • An important function of the executive is the indication towards a positive future and the measures for reaching it. The strategy should provide the employees a seizable framework for the realization.

As soon as these components are missing, the leaders are worth nothing and it remains noting else than eliminating these positions.

Bottom line: The leadership tasks require a large spectrum of abilities, in order to be able to perform a task meaningfully. However, as soon as the leader is guided on a short leash, without budget, even the best characteristics go pop, because penniless managers are worth anything.

The concept is feasible, if it functions comprehensibly

In art and entertainment, you can find formats that are based on improvisation. Action Painting, Jazz, Improvisational theater or talk shows offer a simple framework where the participants create results that are not previously planned in detail. In the construction of buildings, the programming of IT-applications or the foundation of an enterprise, a more extensive preparation is indispensable. The various parts are developed in relationship to one another. They are supposed to fit eventually as planned. One of the leadership tasks is it to ensure a consistent concept, besides the self-management, the coordination, the communication and cooperation. At best, one starts with a short description that shows that the intention is logically feasible.

Konzeption

In this first sketch, the following four aspects should be described in a way that one can decide, whether the effort of a detailed concept is worth it.

  • Goals
    This is to describe the desired target state as goals – the main goal and the corresponding sub goals. They should be formulated in a way that also outsiders understand the project.
  • Premises
    Thepremises describe the conditions that have to be fulfilled, in order to realize the project. This includes the required number of employees, the needed financial means, the necessary infrastructure (i.e the hard and software, spaces and media of all kinds) as well as the crucial skills and knowledge.
  • Results
    Theresults are always products and/or services. Products are split into expendable or durable goods. Services are person- or object-related. At this point, the understandable, complete list is better than results that are described in detail. In later preparation, the individual results are specified in more detail.
  • Explanation
    Theexplanations should further clarify the project to the reader. The vision and the mission obtain thereby the purpose of the plan. The listing of the substantial functions and processes convey the way, how the individual elements work with each other. The history and additional interesting information complete the picture. The explanations should be limited to those aspects that clarify the project and be formulated short and simple.

The biggest challenges in describing the concept are the determination of the length and the level of detail that should be prepared at this point of time, at the beginning of the process. Since the size of a project differs very much, there is no clear answer about the number of pages or other key figures. As rule of thumb, consider the following:

  • Outline as extensive, as necessary for understanding.
  • Describe as detailed, as necessary for the current decision.
  • Invest as little time, as possible.
  • Illustrate always goals, premises, results and explanations, as clearly as possible.

Eventually, you should be able to say: The concept is feasible, if it functions comprehensibly.