Unfortunately, most companies use the traditional top-down command and control approach to managing their employees, an approach which concentrates on producing goals, targets, visions, orders and other directives in order to control the workforce and thereby achieve organizational success. Focusing on giving direction prevents these managers from doing much of anything else. Thus top-down treats employees like robots in the “shut up and listen, I know better than you” mode, and rarely if ever listens to them.

By so doing this approach ignores every employee’s basic need to be heard and to be respected. In addition, not listening to employees makes top management ignorant of what is really going on in the workplace thus making their directives misguided at best and irrelevant at worst. Employees become demotivated, demoralized and disrespected and thus “led” to treat their work, their customers, and their bosses with the same level of disrespect.

Thus, top-down produces the exact opposite environment to what is needed.

To better understand the right way and the wrong way to manage human capital, please read the article “Leadership, Good or Bad”

Best regards, Ben
Author “Leading People to be Highly Motivated and Committed”

Great breakdown. I know that I’ve been intimidated by “the change management process” in the past. I’m featuring your no nonsense approach in the LouisvillePM Tools & Techniques forum.