Managing for result
There was time when we measured the performance of our employees with emphasis placed on their work attendance, punctuality, cleanliness, obedience, etc. Later, our focus was shifted more to result oriented. We concern for the final outcome more than the means in achieving the task.
However, we still hold tight to the old value of working quality in absentee, sick leave and other nitty-gritty of working practices. Mean time we have added in some new restrictions on working facility usage like Internet or gas allowance. We tend to be proud of our theory Y management approach while hiding the theory X practices within.
But with the rapid progress in social and economic fronts, management should speed up the managing for result process to catch up. We should really dissect various management sectors to set up the respective result target and proper result measuring methods.
In the social aspect, it is now common for husband to share the task in taking care of the baby and doing many household chores. At the same time, women are joining the work force with increasing numbers. Management should be able to integrate a system to allow father and mother to stay home working half a day each taking care of the child.
There are countries like Iceland that allows working mothers to take half a day off without pay to take care of her child until the age of eight.
Modern electronic devices are so advanced nowadays that enable many types of work to be carried out virtually anywhere and any place. A physician can even perform an operation far away from the patient.
A mother can go home half day to feed her baby and back to work at her desk top while her baby snooze off the afternoon. Father can stay home working and taking care of the baby in the morning. He will leave to work in the office when the mother of the baby returns home.
This does not mean we have to follow the suggestion rigidly. It is only a management idea tosses up for discussion, scrutinize, refine, make trial and put to work. The idea is really for us to push harder towards the end result rather than the means approach of management. The critical matter is, therefore, to find way to measure result.
Results can be measured quantitatively and qualitatively. Certain work that has result in number like sales or data entries can be measured quantitatively. Others like winning a project may better be measured qualitatively. Both are equally important in reflecting a fair and true result of the work. This is the core of the success of the managing for result.
If management can come up with a work measurement that is just and acceptable to all, we will be able to spear ahead and get closer to better managing for results. We will be able to give better incentive, have higher employee morale, and royalty. And most of all, we will be able achieve a better result for our works.
It is, therefore, essential for management to exert effort in the field of result measurement management to be successful in managing for result.