Discriminating Bosses Can Help the Firm
We want to be fair. We want to be even-handed. We do not want to be perceived as biased or prejudiced.
We are taught that discrimination is bad.
But employees have different skills, experiences, levels of motivation and desires.
If we are to achieve our organization’s goals, we must decide which projects and activities deserve our resources. And building and sustaining a desired organizational culture requires supporting certain behaviors, activities and attitudes.
As a result, managers need to understand the uniqueness of each employee and use these differences by matching each employee’s capabilities and needs to the organization’s goals. In other words, managers must be discriminating in the way they manage.
Discriminating management recognizes differences among employees and constructively uses them to help achieve organizational and individual potential.
Making the right employee assignments is critical for your organization’s success and can only be accomplished by using discriminating management.
For example, Barbara, a young manager who is a quick learner and has exceptional skills in managing cross-functional teams, is asked to assemble a team to restructure the reporting package for the board of directors. Despite having less experience and, in some cases, less knowledge than other managers, Barbara was chosen because of her ability to be objective and translate diverse data into meaningful information for the senior executives.
Research has shown that pay is not enough. Recognizing and accommodating differing circumstances are critical in attracting and retaining good employees. Clearly there are limits to these accommodations, but the use of discriminating management in such areas as telecommuting, flexible scheduling and training can deepen employee commitment and loyalty.
Good managers know that all discriminating behavior is not bad. Good managers know where and when to discriminate. And good managers know where discrimination is wrong, if not illegal.
Unfortunately, many managers do not understand this.
Some managers avoid making differentiating decisions that might be questioned or that require lengthy explanations. Take an employee who is provided with additional resources to launch a project that supports a desired cultural shift toward innovation and risk taking.
Even if organizational priorities were communicated, it would not be unusual for other employees to wonder about that special treatment. And these “wondering” employees might start complaining about unequal treatment.
So do you avoid making these types of decisions for fear of being accused of being unfair or playing favorites?
A good manager will make these decisions and work through the difficulties.
The discriminating manager also views these situations as opportunities to communicate the importance of strategic priorities.
Clearly, this takes time and effort. But it is the job of a good manager to help guide employees toward achieving organizational goals.
Other managers seek to simplify their jobs by treating everyone the same. These managers view policies as unbreakable rules, where no judgment is needed, rather than using them as guidelines where differences should be weighed.
Take Matthew, a valued employee who was recently reprimanded for being late for work. He had asked if he could change his schedule and start and end his shift half an hour later in order to take his daughter to preschool. He was told that it was against company policy to do so and that if he were allowed to do this, other employees might ask for special schedules.
This was said despite the fact that his requested schedule fell within normal working hours and employee work coverage did not appear to be an issue. Now Matthew is frustrated and thinking about quitting. If a manager understands that employees have different needs and attempts to accommodate them when reasonable, employee morale is raised and loyalty deepened.
Still other managers do not want to take on the extra work that might be associated with treating employees as people with different needs and dreams. For example, an outstanding employee asks a manager’s help in obtaining work experience that is not available in their department. She needs this experience to be considered for a promotion. Does the manager decline this request to avoid being accused of favoritism or setting a difficult precedent, or try to accommodate the employee and coordinate with other managers in the organization to find the right project?
We can only be effective managers if we recognize employees as people. By doing so, we judiciously tailor how we manage employees who have different aspirations and needs.
Let there be no misunderstanding: Discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, sex, religion or age is wrong. But there is a vital need for discriminating management.
Clearly, discriminating management can complicate a manager’s job. However, a manager’s job is not supposed to be easy. It takes more than doing things right. We also need to do the right things.
Let us use discriminating management and link organizational priorities with day-to-day decisions. Let us achieve organizational potential by having heart and recognizing differences in employee aspirations and needs.
Make a positive difference. Have the courage to embrace and constructively use our differences.
Gary Izumo is a professor in the Moorpark College Business Department and has managed his own consulting practice. He is a former McKinsey & Company consultant and Practice Leader for the Strategic Management Consulting Practice of Price Waterhouse. You can e-mail him at gizumo@vcccd.cc.ca.us.
