What is the point of leaders and managers?
This short article is in response to another article on leadership styles HERE. One thing that is almost never mentioned in these countless articles on leadership and management styles etc is: why have leaders and managers at all? Does having that strata make things better or worse? The basic need for them at all is never questioned, always presumed. Yet we do have the option of a horizontal organisational style in which all staff connected to a job have equal say and responsibility. Why must it always been a tight vertical hierarchy style?
The next thing which is sometimes asked but no where near enough is: isn't it the very nature of that inflexible vertical hierarchy that creates most of the problems? The isolation and arrogance of the top level leaders is encouraged by it. The feeling of powerlessness and lack of a 'stake-hold' in the organisation felt by those of the lower level staff is created by it. Problems such as ‘motivating your team’ often originate in the very organisational nature of the business and of the basic capitalist character of the system it operate within. The lack of motivation comes from feeling like just a robot in the system, not valued as a human, not being asked for your view about how X process should be done or why we are making Y useless product in the first place, etc.
The article here mentions a report noting ’67% of workers in the state experience low morale because of their manager’ - and then go onto mention individual aspects. Is it not just as likely to be systemic aspects that cause the problem? They are burned out because the exploitative system they are in burns them out! Has as its basic aim to get the most work out of them for the least pay. They are demeaned not just by the manager but by the basic system they are in which robs them of the ability to control their own work and receive the full benefit of their efforts. Thats are system also demeans the manager too - just with less ferocity than it demeans the main staff.
So, basically, the problem is not with leaders and managers, its with the system both normal staff and managerial staff operate within. If our real aim is the happiness and efficiency of workers then we need to change the whole system. The article even hints at the real solution, almost be accident. It says: ‘collaborate with your team to be able to quickly formulate the best solutions.’ Yes, the collaboration of EQUALS is the way to come up with good solutions. That is, a work system in which each staff member is not an employee being exploited and powerless, but someone with equal power, equal say and who receives an equal benefit from the work done.
Why is that solution almost never discussed? Because it might lead to REAL change?
This short article is in response to another article on leadership styles HERE. One thing that is almost never mentioned in these countless articles on leadership and management styles etc is: why have leaders and managers at all? Does having that strata make things better or worse? The basic need for them at all is never questioned, always presumed. Yet we do have the option of a horizontal organisational style in which all staff connected to a job have equal say and responsibility. Why must it always been a tight vertical hierarchy style?
The next thing which is sometimes asked but no where near enough is: isn't it the very nature of that inflexible vertical hierarchy that creates most of the problems? The isolation and arrogance of the top level leaders is encouraged by it. The feeling of powerlessness and lack of a 'stake-hold' in the organisation felt by those of the lower level staff is created by it. Problems such as ‘motivating your team’ often originate in the very organisational nature of the business and of the basic capitalist character of the system it operate within. The lack of motivation comes from feeling like just a robot in the system, not valued as a human, not being asked for your view about how X process should be done or why we are making Y useless product in the first place, etc.
The article here mentions a report noting ’67% of workers in the state experience low morale because of their manager’ - and then go onto mention individual aspects. Is it not just as likely to be systemic aspects that cause the problem? They are burned out because the exploitative system they are in burns them out! Has as its basic aim to get the most work out of them for the least pay. They are demeaned not just by the manager but by the basic system they are in which robs them of the ability to control their own work and receive the full benefit of their efforts. Thats are system also demeans the manager too - just with less ferocity than it demeans the main staff.
So, basically, the problem is not with leaders and managers, its with the system both normal staff and managerial staff operate within. If our real aim is the happiness and efficiency of workers then we need to change the whole system. The article even hints at the real solution, almost be accident. It says: ‘collaborate with your team to be able to quickly formulate the best solutions.’ Yes, the collaboration of EQUALS is the way to come up with good solutions. That is, a work system in which each staff member is not an employee being exploited and powerless, but someone with equal power, equal say and who receives an equal benefit from the work done.
Why is that solution almost never discussed? Because it might lead to REAL change?