Subscribe
The Largest Premier Gathering of Process Mining Industry Leaders & Senior-Executives sharing key solutions to current & future challenges

Virtual Event

April 4, 2023

The Largest Premier Gathering of Supply Chain Industry Leaders & Senior-Executives sharing key solutions to current & future challenges

Virtual Event

May 9-11, 2023

The Largest Premier Gathering of Enterprise Agile Industry Leaders & Senior-Executives sharing key solutions to current & future challenges

Virtual Event

May 16-18, 2023

The Largest Premier Gathering of Enterprise Architecture Leaders & Executives sharing key solutions to current & future challenges

Virtual Event

May 23-25, 2023

The Premier Virtual Gathering of Oil & Gas Business Transformation & Operational Excellence Industry Leaders & Senior-Executives.

Virtual Event

May 30-June 2, 2023

The Largest Premier Gathering of IT & Cloud Industry Leaders & Senior-Executives sharing key solutions to current & future challenges

Virtual Event

June 6-8, 2023

The Largest Premier Gathering of IoT Industry Leaders & Senior-Executives sharing key solutions to current & future challenges

Virtual Event

June 13-15, 2023

The Largest Premier Gathering of Digital Process Automation Industry Leaders & Senior-Executives sharing key solutions.

Virtual Event

March 21, 2023

The Premier Virtual Financial Services Gathering of Business Transformation & Operational Excellence Industry Leaders & Senior-Executive

Virtual Event

March 21, 2023

Larry Fast
By
August 19, 2016

How 'Managing Up' can Boost Your Continuous Improvement Results

Managing up leadership to boost your continuous improvement efforts.

The topic for this article is “Managing Up.” This subject is the result of an excellent, stimulating discussion that broke out in one of my recent workshops. We were talking about the failure of management (read; leaders) over the years to deliver the necessary leadership for continuous improvement journeys to be just that -- continuous. Career-long. Forever.

As surveys over the last 30-plus years have confirmed time and again, the vast majority of such initiatives to achieve and sustain excellence last less than five years. They simply have petered out for lack of strong, sustaining leadership from the top. There was clearly the absence of a relentless champion for excellence.

Our group discussed lots of excuses about why this has been the case. But the one thing that jumped out in the conversation was the bright young plant manager who attributed at least some of the problem to lower-level managers who are either afraid to “manage up” or are simply reticent to do so -- which makes them an equal part of the problem.

Our suggestion to each of you in this:  Look in the mirror to assess yourself and determine if you are part of the problem! If you are, then -- once acknowledged --you’ll become a part of the solution through open discussions with your peers and especially one on one with your direct supervisor.

What is 'Managing Up', and Why Do We Need It?

See below examples for 'managing up':

1. If a supervisor isn’t communicating and behaving in ways that match the words coming from higher up, then an hourly associate should ask why.

2. If a supervisor isn’t seeing the support and behavior necessary to excel, then the supervisor should ask her manager why.

3. If a staff-level manager isn’t seeing the support and behavior necessary, then he should ask the plant manager why.

And so on right up to the senior operations executive asking the same question of the CEO!

Encouraging Leadership

I know from personal experience that sometimes bosses think they are communicating well with words, gestures and behaviors. Often times this simply isn’t the case. They are often way too subtle if they “get it” about continuous improvement and totally oblivious if they don’t!

Don’t be afraid to hold up the mirror to them and give them honest and helpful feedback. If they don’t have an operations background, they may simply not have the knowledge or the confidence to be bold in their communications and with their presence. Help them. Tell them what you and your people need for them to do.

"I know from personal experience that sometimes bosses think they are communicating well with words, gestures and behaviors. Often times this simply isn’t the case."

Don't be afraid to engage leadership on your continuous improvement journey

I’d ask that each of you think hard about this as it relates to your direct boss. If you have the issue being described here, plan a one-on-one meeting in your supervisor’s office to discuss the CI journey. Go prepared with specific examples of how you see the boss’s communications and behaviors as he walks through the value stream/plant. What does he see? What does he not see? What happens if there’s an issue to be followed up? Are the interactions with the staff, machine operators, etc., meaningful? Do they demonstrate support and a commitment help the work area improve?

And how about the simple things that, if not done, reverberate through the building in a matter of minutes, e.g., does the corporate leader set the right example by always wearing the appropriate safety protection or does he think the rules don’t apply to him?

Related Content: 

The best plant managers don’t make exceptions for anyone on the plant rules -- not outside visitors and certainly not employees of the company up to and including the board of directors. Do the leaders really understand the processes and add value during their discussions, or are they simply on a back-slapping social visit without substance? Or does the leader stay in the comfort of the front-office conference room and rarely walk the shop floor?

I once met a bright young plant manager (PM) who had changed companies and was in a plant I was visiting. He had only been on the job for a short time. I asked him: “When was the last time your boss (a VP of manufacturing) visited the plant?” The PM said: “Well, I’ve been here 18 months and I haven’t seen him yet.”

This was a young man who sorely needed some mentorship but was getting none.

Obviously, this is not a great start for any new PM; he certainly shouldn’t have to ask his supervisor to come and see him. But on the other hand, why not? Invite the boss in and start a dialogue of expectations -- his and yours -- as you tour the shop. Talk honestly of what support and guidance you require. Ask for specific, scheduled one-on-one meetings by phone starting every two to three weeks as you require. When you’re on top of the job, you may want to reduce the frequency to monthly. This is all part of “managing up” as well.

Think about all the opportunities you’ll have to influence your relationship with your superior, accelerate your learning curve and affect your future career possibilities (for better or worse!). Your boss may be wrongfully assuming that since you’re a plant manager now that you should know what to do and when. My experience has been that this is rarely the case, especially when it’s the first time this new PM has sat down in the big chair and/or if it’s in a new company where the people and processes are unknown in the beginning.  

My experience also is that as long as these confidential discussions are held one on one, behind closed doors, improved working relationships, great learning on both sides and enhanced operating performance will follow.

Continuous Improvement Programs - Kickstarting your journey with these tools and methods

I’d love to hear your stories and examples, successful or not, based on your use of “managing up” to help get the communications and behaviors you need from your bosses. This can be such a win-win -- but only if you have the open dialogue. I’ll look forward to reading about your experiences in the comments section!


Larry is Founder of Pathways to Manufacturing Excellence, and a veteran of 35 years in the wire and cable industry. Larry is the author of The 12 Principles of Manufacturing Excellence--A Lean Leader's Guide to Achieving and Sustaining Excellence,  the second edition of which was published in September, 2015. You can follow him on Linkedin.

 

Proqis Digital Virtual Conference Series

View our schedule of industry leading free to attend virtual conferences. Each a premier gathering of industry thought leaders and experts sharing key solutions to current challenges.

Download the most comprehensive OpEx Resport in the Industry

The Largest Leadership-Level Business Transformation & Operational Excellence Event

The Business Transformation & Operational Excellence Industry Awards Video Presentation

Proqis Events Schedule

Proqis Digital

The Business Transformation & Operational Excellence Industry Awards

Welcome to the Official Content Portal of the Business Transformation & Operational Excellence World Summit. Learn more at btoes.com.

300x3001c (1)
24097-Proqis-Media-Pack-Banner-300x300
ACCESS 50 VIDEO PRESENTATIONS
Access all 75 Award Finalist Entires
RESEARCH REPORT 2021/2022
BTOES AWARD - NO DATE
BTOES UNIVERSAL GRAPHIC - NO DATE
Subscribe to Business Transformation & Operational Excellence Insights Now
btoes19.png
png
DO NOT TOUCH - SPEX  - Proqis Digital Event Graphics for Forward Schedule Email (47)
10-Feb-07-2023-01-57-32-2488-PM
14-Feb-02-2023-08-38-19-1475-AM
15-Feb-02-2023-08-38-54-5518-AM
16-Feb-02-2023-08-40-53-6692-AM
17-Feb-02-2023-08-41-37-8227-AM
png

Featured Content

  • Best Achievement of Operational Excellence in Technology & Communications: IBM
  • Best Achievement of Operational Excellence in Oil & Gas, Power & Utilities: Black & Veatch
  • Best Achievement in Cultural Transformation to deliver a high performing Operational Excellence culture: NextEra Energy
   
Operational Excellence Frameworks and Learning Resources, Customer Experience, Digital Transformation and more introductions
  • Intelligent BPM Systems: Impact & Opportunity
  • Surviving_the_IT_Talent_deficit.png
  • Six Sigma's Best Kept Secret: Motorola & The Malcolm Baldrige Awards
  • The Value-Switch for Digitalization Initiatives: Business Process Management
  • Process of Process Management: Strategy Execution in a Digital World

Popular Tags

Speaker Presentation Operational Excellence Business Transformation Business Improvement Business Excellence Process Management Continuous Improvement process excellence Process Optimization Process Improvement Award Finalist Case Study Digital Transformation Leadership Enterprise Excellence Change Management Lean Premium Organizational Excellence Lean Enterprise Lean Six Sigma Execution Excellence Capability Excellence New Technologies Changing & Improving Company Culture Agile Insights Article end-to-end Business Transformation Enterprise Architecture Execution & Sustaining OpEx Projects Leadership Understanding & Buy-In Lack of/Need for Resources Culture Transformation Adapting to Business Trends Changing Customer Demands Failure to Innovate Integrating CI Methodologies Lack of/Need for Skilled Workers Lack of/Need for Support from Employees Maintaining key Priorities Relationships Between Departments BTOES18 RPA & Intelligent Automation Live BTOES From Home Financial Services Technology Customer Experience Excellence Process Mining Healthcare iBPM Healthcare and Medical Devices Process Automation Culture Customer Experience Innovation BTOES Video Presentations Exclusive Cultural Transformation Webinar BTOES HEALTH Strategy Execution Business Challenges Digital Process Automation Report Industry Digital Workplace Transformation Manufacturing Robotic Process Automation (RPA) IT Infrastructure & Cloud Strategies Supply Chain Planning Automation BPM innovation execution AI Lean Manufacturing Artificial Intelligence Oil & Gas Robotic Process Automation IT value creation Agility Business Speaker Article Systems Engineering RPAs Insurance Process Design Digital Speaker's Interview data management digital operations Awards thought leaders BTOES Presentation Slides Business Process Management Cloud Intelligent Automation Machine Learning Data Analytics Digital Transformation Workplace Transformation Banking and Capital Markets Data Finance Professional Services Education IT Infrastructure IT Infrastructure & Cloud Strategies Live Blockchain Interview BTOES White Paper investment banking BTOES19 Consumer Products & Retail Enterprise Agile Planning Government Operational Excellence Model Project Management Solving Cash Flow with AI Algorithm Analytics Insight Automotive and Transportation Banking Business Environment Digital Bank Hybrid Work Model Primary Measure of succes Relationship Management Sales business expansion revenue growth Adobe Sign Agile Transformation CoE Delivery solution E-Signatures Electricity Global Technology HealthcareTechnologies Innovation in Healthcare Transportation Accounts Receivable (AR) Big Data Technology CORE Cloud Technology Cognitive learning Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) Enterprise architecture as an enabler Logistics Services Operational Excellence Example Risk Management business process automation transformation journey Covid-19 Data Entry Digital Experience Digital Network Digital Network Assistant (DNA) Digitization Drinks HR Internet Media NPS Net Promoter Score Program Management Portal (PgMP) Six Sigma Sustainability TechXLive The Document is Dead The New Era of Automation Automated Money Movement Banking & Financial Services Biopharmaceutical Blue Room Effect Building Your Future Workforce in Insurance Capital Market Creative Passion Digital Transformation Workplace Live Digital Workforce Digitalization ERP Transformation Effective Change Leaders Finance Global Operations (FGO) Financial Services Software Frameworks Hoshin Planning Human Capital Lean Culture Natural Gas Infrastructure Natural Language Processing Organizational Change Pharmaceutical Pharmaceuticals & Life Sciences Project manager Reduce your RPA TCO Supply Chain Management Sustainable Growth The Fully Automated Contact Center Transformation Initiatives Workplace Analytics eForms eSignatures 3D Thinking BEAM BFARM BTOES17 Big Data Processing Business Analytics Business Growth Business Process Governance Centralized Performance Monitoring System Communication Creativity Digital Technologies Digital Technology Educational Psychologist Energy Management Health Insurance Health Maintenance Organizations Hospitality & Construction Human Centered Design Integrated Decision Approach Integrated Decision Making Intelligent Document Processing Kaizen Medicare Moodset for Excellence Natural Language Processing (NLP) Offering Managers Oil and Gas Optical Character Recognition (OCR) Pharmaceuticals and Life Sciences Photographing Price and Routing Tracking (PART) Process Design Document (PDD) Product Identifier Descriptions (PIDs) Python Quote to Cash (Q2C) Resilience SAP Sales Quota Team Work Telecommunications Text Mining Visually Displayed Work Culture master text analytics virtual resource management

Proqis Digital Virtual Conference Series

View our schedule of industry leading free to attend virtual conferences. Each a premier gathering of industry thought leaders and experts sharing key solutions to current challenges.

Webinars

 

Delivered by Progressive Thought-Leaders

 

Watch On-Demand Recordings For Free

Watch On-Demand Recording - Access all sessions from progressive thought leaders free of charge from our industry leading virtual conferences.
 

Best-In-Class Training

Delivered by the industry's most progressive thought leaders from the world's top brands.
Start learning today!
 

BTOES From Home - On-Demand

The premier Business Transformation & Operational Excellence Conference. Watch sessions on-demand for free. Use code: BFH1120

Proqis Digital Virtual Conference Series

View our schedule of industry leading free to attend virtual conferences. Each a premier gathering of industry thought leaders and experts sharing key solutions to current challenges.

Webinars

 

Delivered by Progressive Thought-Leaders

 

Watch On-Demand Recordings For Free

Watch On-Demand Recording - Access all sessions from progressive thought leaders free of charge from our industry leading virtual conferences.
 

Best-In-Class Training

Delivered by the industry's most progressive thought leaders from the world's top brands.
Start learning today!
 

BTOES From Home - On-Demand

The premier Business Transformation & Operational Excellence Conference. Watch sessions on-demand for free. Use code: BFH1120