Archive for November, 2010
What a show! Avoidable Risk – Management Error?
Friday, November 12th, 2010
It really is quite a show! We are being treated to a very public airing of accusations of sexism, ‘lookism’, ageism, personal vindictiveness and opaque process. To the delight of the press it includes elements of ‘cat fight’, as personal accusations are exchanged between professionals. This is all from such an avowedly high IQ and intelligent organisation, the BBC.
The corporation is paying the financial and distraction costs of a tribunal as a result of comments allegedly made by managers when discussing an employee’s performance and future. As gender, age and looks are not characteristics that an individual may (easily) change, and are shared by large proportions of the population especially theBBC’s audience and tax paying pay masters, the market and political damage is reasonably significant.
High IQ individuals often find the soft skills required to manage performance a challenge to perfect. Performance feedback is an important and constant part of a manager’s job. Staying adult is part of the competency. However, the BBC team appear to have resorted to personally vindictive behaviour. This may be bullying and harassment, and whether deliberate or accidental, is certainly unnecessary and avoidable.
As more than one manager within the team appears to have demonstrated shortcomings, was it an isolated management failure with the senior manager failing to correct errors? Or was this a case of tick box compliance to policy?
Are your managers to exposing your organisation to unnecessary risks?
Talk to us, in confidence and without obligation about helping your managers develop the competence and confidence to manage effectively. Solutions that engage, motivate and fit around, rather than disrupt the business.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8117730/Countryfile-presenter-forced-out-as-payback.html