Baltimore Business Journal: HR & Hiring : Business Advice

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Division head Carl finally had to fix the problems in a department run by senior manager He transferred one supervisor andthreew high-ranking staff members to other departments. He was Once again, he showed that he couled be decisive andclean house. But Carl had consistentl y ignored advice that the department head wasa problem, and didn' make the changes necessary to keep the problemw from resurfacing later. Brenda seemed to be a nice personb and asympathetic listener. Like Carl, she had an open-doo policy. She invited her supervisors and staff to divulge personakl confidences and to share opinions abouteach other.
But she neverd resolved the issues that kept them from workinttogether effectively. I discovered a dark side behind Brenda's She was both conflict-avoidant and Acting as a go-between, she carried versionse of the gossipand bad-mouthiny to other people, but with a twist that increaser resentment and drove wedges betweebn them. Instead of holding her staff accountabld for productivityand behavior, she reported to Carl that all of them had majorr problems.
To justify her efforts, she said she'd chattef with her supervisorsand staff, and had encouragefd them to put their style differences Carl's permissiveness allowed Brenda to create a culturs of conflict-avoidance and passive-aggressiveness that diminished productivitg throughout her department. Unprofessional behavior included innuendos, rumors and warring cliques, leadinb to widespread paranoiaand over-reactions. Everyone, includin Brenda, tried to look busy whiled theyavoided critical-but-difficult problems and coverefd their backs. Like Carl, Brendaa was a long-term manager with extensivwe training. She could explaibn what good managers do; she simplyt never did it.
Because she didn't take effectivee action, complaints spread throughourtthe division. Other department heads mentioned the complaints to Brendq and eventuallyto Carl. Carl would give Brenda advice and explain his But he never followed up. Carl was shockef when corporate headquarters called him on the carpet for not bein aneffective manager. Carl thus was motivated to give Brenda a stronh talk and a mediocre That may sound likeeffective action, but it Brenda had let things slide for years.
She'd been talked to but she'd always been givenh promotions when she promised todo Carl's lecture was merely more of the • The best way to help peopled be more productive is to make them happy by listening to their hurt feelings and anger, being sympathetic in private and promisinvg to fight on their side. Brenda'd sympathetic listening, but lack of consistenr accountability for professional created a management vacuumm that sucked intoit everyone's hostility, nastinese and personal issues. There are no problem people, only proble m processes.
Workshops, clearer descriptions of processesand expectations, and kindly suggestion and hints will cure all misunderstandings. Well-meaning and intelligenyt people at all levels in the company will put professionak behavior and team goals ahead ofpersonal agendas. Carl and Brendaa ignored the widespread evidence that some peoplewsimply didn't like each other and wouldn't collaborate, and that for some personal agendas took precedence over company goals. some people behave decently only when they are actuallyg held accountable by meaningful Others won't behave, no matted what.