The middle manager's view
Harry R., an engineering manager of a $150 million manufacturing company,
expressed it this way: "It used to be that my engineers worked on the
development projects that the marketing people selected. When my engineers
were ready, they passed the designs over to manufacturing to do the pilot
and production runs. Sure, we had problems, especially when the plant people
didn't think the new products were easy enough to manufacture or assemble.
But we always muddled through. After a while, everything worked out."
Now, everything's different. The bosses created empowered multifunctional
teams to do the big development projects and the teams report directly to
the bosses, not to me anymore.
"So, what's my role? I can no longer tell the engineers what to do,
at least not with the big projects. I'm lucky if they tell me anything at
all. I like the idea of teamwork, but not when it leaves me out in the cold.
Maybe I should start looking around for another job. If they use teams for
everything here, there probably won't be a place for me."
Pete P., a marketing manager of a $500 million consumer products company,
said: "About five years ago, we became a product matrix type of organization.
That meant that the product managers, who report directly to me, were responsible
for the development of all new products in their areas. They had multifunctional
teams doing the work, and they were the team leaders of all the projects.
I liked this arrangement because I controlled everything; no products were
developed unless I wanted them. I guided and approved the features of all
new products and line extensions."
Then, last year, senior management decided to try something new. They
formed a senior-management new-product committee made up of the CEO and
his direct reports. They started to select all the new major projects, appointed
multifunctional teams and had the teams select their own leaders. The teams
started reporting directly to the senior-management committee instead of
to my product managers.
"I feel totally left out of the loop. My product managers aren't automatically
the team leaders anymore, and now I've got very little control or say over
the projects. I don't decide which projects to do and, once the management
committee chooses the projects, I can't tell the teams what to do. I'm starting
to wonder if I have a job here anymore. Maybe I should leave."
These middle managers expressed some real fears because roles at work are
changing and they don't know where they fit in. Surely they must have some
options other than leaving the company or offering passive resistance. They
need to find their role in the product-development process.
Discovering
new functions
Middle managers don't need to feel left out. While they have a less strategic
and controlling role than perhaps they would like, they can get involved
and provide important assistance in a less direct manner. Basically, they
can access the product-development process by working with those of their
employees who are on development teams. They can help by:
· Providing resources-Development teams depend on adequate labor and other
resources. Middle managers can provide the resources that were approved
in the team's project plan, making sure that unexpected labor needs don't
hurt the project. If it appears that their department's resource problems
could adversely affect a development project, middle managers can go to
their peers, to their senior managers or the project's champion to resolve
the problem.
· Coaching and training-Middle managers can coach and train their respective
functional team members, operating as sympathetic and knowledgeable mentors.
They can do whatever it takes to keep their team members' spirits high,
by celebrating successes and helping team members get back up after they
have stumbled.
· Helping to resolve conflict-Conflict is inevitable. Middle managers are
uniquely positioned to courteously and firmly identify and help resolve
conflicts, especially those that relate to availability of labor.
· Providing knowledge and experience-Middle managers possess a substantial
body of factual knowledge and experience relating to their respective functional
areas. They know what works and what doesn't. Sharing their knowledge with
development team members helps promote fast product development.
· Overcoming roadblocks-Middle managers can help overcome roadblocks
to development team progress when an employee asks for help. They know how
to make things happen, often because they know how to cut through red tape.
They can connect people who can get something done with those that need
the help.
· Promoting the fast product-development process-Middle managers can familiarize
themselves with and then become enthusiastic supporters of the fast product-development
process. Further, they should be available to counsel any employee whose
behavior is not in the best interests of the fast new-product-development
process.
Working relationships
Development team members are empowered to make decisions, within the constraints
of their project plan. Yet the spirit of team empowerment does not require
a hands-off relationship between individual team members and their managers.
Middle managers need to help and support those of their employees who are
on development-project teams. In turn, team members should be willing to
keep their respective managers thoroughly informed about their team-related
activities. There should be a sharing of feelings, opinions and information
about the development project.
Managers do best when they seek information and give guidance in a nonthreatening
way, avoiding any appearance of issuing direct orders to the team member.
Issuing a direct order disguised as a helpful suggestion will likely encounter
resistance and antagonism. Managers must not do anything that is construed
as meddling with the team. If in doubt about how to approach a team member
with a suggestion, the middle manager should ask the project champion for
advice.
Often, team members feel pulled in two directions: toward the needs of the
project and toward the needs of their manager. These needs can be in direct
conflict. Managers need to be sensitive to this dilemma and should make
every effort to avoid interfering with the autonomy of a team member. Yet,
at the same time, managers must find a way to make their concerns known.
Team members should be willing to listen to constructive guidance from their
managers without arbitrarily assuming that it is an attempt to meddle with
the project. When presented with a suggestion, a team member should listen
courteously and be willing to bring the suggestion promptly to the team
for discussion and resolution.
What's in it for middle managers?
In reality, middle managers play an important role in the company's fast
new-product-development process. Managers who are successful in this regard
will:
· Promote company growth and survival
· Become known as developers of good people
· Learn more about teamwork and conflict resolution
· Be respected by their team-member employees
· Learn to manage existing resources more effectively
· Develop training and mentoring skills
The choices
Middle managers have choices; they either can become mentors, coaches and
promoters of fast-product development or they can try to hang on to their
traditional right to be in control. They can promote product-development
teamwork or they can get in the way. The choice is theirs. It's a tough
choice. To move into a supportive and noncontrolling management style is
scary for many managers. In the end, though, there is no other choice.
About the author . . .
Philip A. Himmelfarb, Ph.D., is president and founder of Philip Adam
& Associates, a Milwaukee-based consulting firm specializing in the
evaluation, fine-tuning and strategic planning of new-product development,
the presentation of in-house training seminars and the facilitating of start-up
and ongoing development projects.
Himmelfarb has had more than 30 years of successful consulting and hands-on
managerial experience in the creation and management of new-product development
projects for many corporations.
Prior to founding PA&A in 1982, Himmelfarb worked at the Jos. Schlitz
Brewing Co., where he was responsible for nonbeer new-product and business
development. Earlier, he worked at Monsanto Chemical Co. and was a senior
consultant at Arthur D. Little Co., specializing in new-product development.