MANAGERIAL LESSONS FROM THE GROUND UP By Barry L. Wisdom, Ph.D. Professor Department of Management Missouri State University 901 S. National Springfield, MO 65897 Phone: 417-836-5647 Fax: 417-836-3004 Email: barrywisdom@missouristate.edu
Abstract In the study of management, analogies and metaphors have been used for years to provide managers with unique perspectives on their jobs. This type of directed thinking can facilitate the development of new insights into problems and techniques. It can also facilitate the transfer of ideas, bodies of knowledge, and methods from one discipline to another. Examples of this practice in the past have included the use of such metaphors as the organization as a machine or the organization as a learning system or brain. This article explores some of the insights that might be gained if managers were to adopt a new metaphorical lens and consider their organizations as gardens. As one begins to look at organizations as gardens and managers as gardeners, there are several insights to managerial practice that come to life. This article provides examples and implications that are relevant to contemporary managerial practice with regard to a number of key areas. For example, the relationship between environmental scanning and organizational change is explored. The relationship between the establishment and maintenance of boundaries and role ambiguity are examined. The importance of the accurate assessment of organizational and environmental climate is discussed. Finally, considerations for strategic planning and event timing are offered.
Managerial Lessons From The Ground Up There have been many analogies proposed over time that relate to the practice of management. Organizations have been likened to engines, brains, machines, and organisms among others. The value that these metaphors offer comes from their provision of a different set of eyes through which to view events occurring around us. These conceptual frameworks can sometimes serve as a way to open our worlds for a closer examination and allow a fresh and deeper understanding of what is going on. These new eyes force us to see old practices from a unique perspective. They provide mechanisms for the lessons that we learn in one endeavor to be transferred or applied to a new one. An existing body of knowledge in one domain becomes more accessible to another. The frequency with which these perceptual mechanisms have been engaged over time serves as a testament to their utility. Perhaps the consideration of a new metaphor might offer some additional insights into the art and science of management. This article proposes the consideration of an organization as a garden and managers as gardeners. Gardening is an endeavor that millions of us can readily relate to as we toil for hours on evenings and weekends trying to bring order and beauty to our surroundings. There are many lessons to be learned as we attempt to coax production from some plants and control the excessive growth of others. Ingredients of all types provide the inputs, such as seeds or plants, labor, soil, water, and the like. Outputs can vary from shrubs, trees, flowers, or vegetables, to grass or fruits. Some gardens are planted for show, while others are focused more on the production of product. This metaphor seems like a natural fit for business as much of the output from gardens is commonly called produce. What follows are some lessons learned over time and how they might reflect on management practice. Do Not Work Against Nature In one corner of the yard there stood three tall white pines. As pines are prone to do, their foliage grew very dense over time and annually the trees would drop a large quantity of needles and cones. In a desire to have lush and well-kept grass in the yard, every year great effort would be expended raking up the needles and cones, hauling them away, and sowing grass seed. It was observed that few of the grass seeds would sprout and most of the ones that did would soon wither and die. This practice was eventually recognized as persistently working against Mother Nature. The grass was dying because it was not getting enough sun and the needles created an acidic soil that was not conducive to sod production. Once this understanding was reached, a border for the lawn was created at the margin of the dropped needles and acid loving plants like azaleas and rhododendrons were planted. The futile effort to force grass to grow where it did not want to grow was abandoned. With the addition of some shade loving plants, it has now become one of the more attractive areas of the yard with the needles and cones providing free, ongoing, effective mulch. The lesson learned here is that one should not work against the forces of nature. It is good advice to work, whenever possible, with these forces. Within each business there are unique patterns and rhythms that should be identified and accommodation practiced. It makes little sense, for example, to double efforts to sell snow blowers in July and August when the natural demand for these products does not occur at this time of year. Find the rhythm of your demand and tune your marketing and production to it. Likewise, look for matches between resources and opportunities. Putting one of your engineers into a customer service position might not make sense as the
engineer s training and skill sets may be ill suited for the application. Also reexamine the parts of your operation that are repeated failures. You could well be expending resources on efforts that are bound to fail. Define Your Boundaries The most stunning gardens are often the ones that offer sharp contrasts between different plantings. A well-defined border of bricks or landscape timbers, for example can offer a stunning visual break between lush grass and a bed of flowers. This allows each component to be appreciated for its uniqueness and helps it maintain a strong uncluttered visual identity. It also makes it clear as well as to what belongs to the lawn and what belongs to the flower bed so that water and amendments can be applied selectively and appropriately. The lesson here is nothing new. When the literature was first being compiled on stress back in the 1960s and 70s, one of the stressors identified in the workplace was role ambiguity. This is a dynamic in management that occurs when the boundaries between responsibilities are poorly defined and people do not know exactly where their responsibilities begin and end. It is this uncertainty that can cause important details of a business to be either overlooked or over managed depending on employees subjective interpretations of their roles. Clearly defined roles, boundaries, and expectations can help individuals stay on track in the performance of their duties. Accurate job descriptions and comprehensive and detailed orientations and performance evaluations can all aid in this process of keeping boundaries well defined. It will also diminish the stress brought on by role ambiguity and can reduce organizational conflict and the negative health consequences that may result. Consider the Climate Homegrown tomatoes are a personal favorite and once were grown in the garden in abundance. Over the years, however, the yield became smaller and smaller until one year no fruit was produced at all. This decline in production occurred even with the provision of good soil and appropriate amendments. The problem was one of a slowly changing climate. Because the trees in the yard were growing at such a slow rate, it took time to recognize that the tomato plants no longer were receiving the sunlight during the day that was essential for their growth. The change was even harder to detect because the trees were growing above eye level where one does not commonly look. The lesson here is to be aware of slow change and to look for it in a comprehensive fashion. Over the long haul slow undetected change can be just as devastating to production as a catastrophic event. Collect data at every opportunity and look for patterns and trends that may be heralding the need for adjustment. Also, do not take things for granted. Yes the sun will come up tomorrow, but will it shine where you need it to? Also look for interactions between factors. In the case of the tomatoes, though the growth of the trees overhead was not immediately observed, change could have been detected through an awareness of the increasing shade on the ground. Either piece of this complementary data set should have warned that a shift was under way. There is an addendum to this lesson. Once the lack of sun was acknowledged and became a factor in the planning for future gardens, the tomato patch was turned into a bed for impatiens, a shade loving plant that blooms all summer. The narrow twelve foot bed performed beautifully in
the spring but it was noted that as the summer heat increased, one end of the bed continued to flourish while a four foot section on the other end burned up. An opening in the tree canopy was responsible for this outcome. The sunlight was too much for the shade loving impatiens but had created an opportunity for a sun loving plant. It is now more appropriate to think of the yard as having a number of microclimates where small spaces can accommodate special plantings. Perhaps there are niches in your organization where unique types of opportunities can be cultivated. It could be a special group of customers or an employee with a special skill set that opens the door for new growth. Visualize the Desired Outcome Comprehensively Nothing warms a chilled winter heart more than the appearance of the first flowers of spring. Toward assuring that outcome, one fall a sizable investment was made in tulip and daffodil bulbs which were planted before the ground froze in late October. Thinking only about the timing of the spring bloom, the bed was planted with the daffodils in the front of the beds and the tulips behind them knowing they would bloom in that order. It was exciting in March when green daffodil shoots rose from the ground a foot or more and then went into full bloom. The daffodils were enjoyed for two or three weeks until their blooms began to wither and dry. It was now time for the tulips to take the stage and their leaves and shoots were growing quite well. It was then realized that the tulip flowers which grew only about eight inches were almost totally hidden behind the foot long greenery from the daffodils. Daffodils should not be cut back until they turn yellow and faint because they need nourishment from the shoots to feed the bulbs for next year. As it was, the tulips were ready to take the stage but it was now impossible to pull back the curtains. The lesson learned here is to plan comprehensively and consider multiple factors in your vision. In the example above, the daffodil blooms were envisioned as were the tulip blooms; however the two plantings were not considered comprehensively. The plan was good regarding the order of bloom, but it was trumped by the height of the plants. There was an additional error as well with regard to the timing. The time of bloom was accounted for but the time needed after the bloom in order to feed next year s bulbs was not. Some other managerial issues might be relevant here. One is scale. When a new endeavor is begun, try to anticipate what the outcome might look like when totally mature. Make sure enough room is left for what it will become so a crowding problem is not created down the line. This might have implications for staffing, machine time, materials, or warehouse or shop floor space. Also it speaks of the importance of managing transitions where one process may be declining as another is coming on line. The ability to coordinate a shift of resources from one endeavor to another in a timely and effective way can be crucial to an organization s success. Summary This article has suggested some similarities between gardening and managing. Both are complex processes that call for a finally orchestrated balance between materials, manpower, space, and time. Good planning and a clear vision of desired outcomes is a fundamental guide to action. Clearly defined areas of responsibility are essential for good stewardship. Change over time is inevitable sometimes at a pace that is slow and sometimes rapid. Finally, success is dependent upon environmental forces that can be either benevolent or brutal. Given these characteristics of
the enterprise, there is little doubt why there are few gardens or organizations that do not have the occasional weed or blemish. Wise managers and gardeners take their lessons where they can find them.