Management 1.0 Is Still All Around Us

Some people told me that the advice I give in my courses is simply common sense management. I agree. Unfortunately, common sense managers are hard to find. And management 1.0 articles and advice are still everywhere.

Some examples I found this weekend…

Get Employees to Compete Against Each Other (Harvard Business Review)

Rank employees according to personal achievements and statistics, and let them compete against each other. Ignore those who say collaboration can lead to better results than competition. We’re not a bunch of tree-hugging learners, we’re ruthless job killers! Who needs teamwork when our aim is to fire the worst performers?

What Your Employees Do When You’re On Vacation (Inc.)

Employees have a tendency to slack off when the boss is on vacation. Therefore, the boss should return to the office at unexpected moments, to check who is really working and who is playing Angry Birds. Of course, nobody needs to check on us, the bosses. We never slack off. After all, we keep all the fun and motivating work for ourselves.

3 Tips for Legally and Ethically Monitoring Employees Online (Entrepreneur)

It would be so nice if we could run a business without employees. Unfortunately, we can’t. And thus, we should check continuously whether people are using the office tools for work, and not for Photoshopping baby pictures. The crucial and ethical part is to let them know that we’re monitoring everyone. It sends a clear signal of transparency and trust.

*sigh*

These articles make me sad…

But they also make me happy! Because clearly, there’s great need in the world for Management 3.0. The big question is, how do I get the ones who really need it to read the book or attend the course?

Maybe I should introduce some games and exercises to help them competing, checking, and monitoring. On each other.

(Please do me a favor, and add your reply to the articles mentioned above, here, here and here.)