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Friday, December 7. 2007I.T. and MBO (Management By Objective)
The MBO philosophy (by Peter Drucker) has been used in many other organizations and businesses other than I.T. organizations, and probably before I.T. did. I believe it is the most beneficial model of managing an I.T. department. MBO doesn't micro-manage ... it empowers and develops staff. Here's the formal definition...
MBO - Management by objectives (MBO) is a systematic and organized approach that allows management to focus on achievable goals and to attain the best possible results from available resources. It aims to increase organizational performance by aligning goals and subordinate objectives throughout the organization. Ideally, employees get strong input to identify their objectives, time lines for completion, etc. MBO includes ongoing tracking and feedback in the process to reach objectives. Using MBO in I.T.
I had always used the MBO model before I even knew what it was. Basically, I'm not into micro-managing and I believe my staff should grow in their skills, knowledge and effectiveness. Additionally, I added to those attributes...'I need to work myself out of the job'. This thought requires a person to employ MBO, whether they know it or not. The underpinnings of MBO is your subordinates. Much of your time should be spent pouring into them and building them up. I'm not talking about just emotional needs, but more skills and strengths. Have concern and think through their career path. Be concerned for their future before your own. The pay-off is extraordinary. The main pay-off is 'TRUST'. When assigning projects, the main focus should be the result the project needs to achieve. Let the person you assign to the project have more liberty in the creativity of solving the problem. You can also point out the results each milestone of the project should achieve as well. This is how you can steer a project and still maintain creative liberty in solving the problems. The grade should be given based on the results. Hold them accountable for the results. This will eliminate the need for micro-management. Micro-management is a waste of everyone's time. It does not foster trust. It is stressful for both the manager and the subordinate. This is the main advantage of MBO...eliminating micro-management, fostering trust which leads to a quicker, more efficient, cohesive I.T. team. Wade Stankich I.T. Manager Astro Shapes, Inc. - Aluminum Extrusion Industry Website - www.astroshapes.com  Comments
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Wade,
I enjoyed your comments. You made an interesting transition, moving from MBO (managing by objectives) to managing by results. There's an intereting gap there, which we've found that basic office tools like email and spreadsheets don't fill very well. E.g. it's hard to get real-time information on the results so that you have an accurate feel for what's working and what isn't in pursuit of the objective. I wonder if you experience the same gap? We use ManagePro to fill that gap. Rodney Brim, www.managepro.com/blog |
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