This time, management looked beyond lines and boxes to
the mechanics of how work got done. Instead of searching
for ways to strip out costs, they focused on improving execution
– and in the process discovered the true reasons for the
performance shortfall. Managers didn’t have a clear sense of
their respective roles and responsibilities. They did not intuitively
understand which decisions were theirs to make. Moreover,
the link between performance and rewards was weak.
This was a company long on micromanaging and secondguessing,
and short on accountability.
Middle managers spent 40% of
their time justifying and reporting
upward or questioning the tactical
decisions of their direct reports