One of the strongest pillars of a firm is having a good management system. A firm’s success not only lies in the fact that it can produce huge profits and make a great mark in the market, but it also depends on the working culture that it provides to its employees. A happy employee means efficient and productive work.
In this era of “job hunt,” youngsters are inclined to take jobs and stick to that firm only if they feel that a good and accepting workplace surrounds them.
They avoid joining firms that only bother about their profits and are known for their bad management practices, even if these provide huge salaries to their employees.
In one of the TEDx events in the London Business School, Professor Freek Vermeulen terms the harmful management practices as the viruses that exist in nature and gives it a name as “Corporate Viruses.” Vermeulen explains that market forces are unsuccessful in removing the ineffectual operational activities and policies.
This results in plain, obsolete, and harmful practices that persist within the companies and industries, just like the viruses that persist in nature.
The effects of poor management in an organization only lead to a downfall of the firm’s reputation and is, on the whole bad for the business.
Common Bad Management Practices Prevalent in Organizations
The following is a list of 10 bad management practices that prevail in companies.
Micromanaging
Micromanaging, in simple terms, is controlling the minutest of actions of an employee. This leads to employees getting frustrated because they do not have the freedom to work and showcase their skills since every move is “managed.”
This is one of the worst management practices. Unfortunately, micromanagement is very commonly observed among companies that have failed to mark the market.
Setting a bad example
A good manager not only supervises his team members but also is fully engaged in the project. On the other hand, if a manager is completely cut off and disengaged from the project, the team members have no motivation to work efficiently.
The employees should feel that they have a responsibility towards that project, and that will only be possible until and unless the manager sets an example himself.
Poor communication
It is no joke that communication is the key to everything. Therefore, a manager with good communication skills can instruct and convey their employees’ expectations and goals in the most effective way.
Whereas a bad or poor communicator will often give vague and confusing instructions leading to clueless employees. The poor management results in the employees’ concerns remain unresolved.
Aimless manager
Another major bad management practice is the aimless and unfocused attitude of the manager. Such managers pass each day without any particular goal or aim.
As a result, the employees who work under such situations question their purpose of joining the firm and feel completely useless.
Aggressive management
When employees work under tremendous fear and unwanted pressure from their managers, they tend to avoid any kind of communication with their superiors in connection with their work. This results in slow progress and leads to huge problems, leading to low productivity and inefficiency.
Insensitivity towards the employees
A manager who is insensitive and does not care about the employee’s life outside of work, including family and other problems of their own, is regarded as one of the most common poor management practices prevailing in many firms.
Consequently, the overworked employees struggle to maintain a work-life balance. Naturally, this affects their mental and physical well-being, and in turn, their productivity.
The employer must realize that the health and sound mind of the employee will only benefit the work. Furthermore, the act of being a little more humane to the employees will result in them giving respect to their work and their boss in the form of gratitude, efficient work, and kindness at work.
Indecisiveness
One of the examples of bad management practices is indecisiveness. Good managers set goals and know what their aim is. The ability to make quick and right decisions is what sets them apart.
If managers have a hard time making decisions — they are always confused, often waver on issues, and keep changing their minds as and when the situation changes — it will lead to the employees running in circles.
There is no harm in reassessing the plans unless it is only done to please the clients or run away from the challenges. This will only lead to low confidence among the employees.
Lack of attention to detail
The greatest characteristic of a good working environment, which is often missed out on, is that it tends to and resolves all the major responsibilities very quickly.
Failure to attend to minute details of a project, which might be the most important ones, is one of the biggest causes of poor time management.
Pessimism
As much as criticism is welcome in the working culture, it should not be so much that it puts the employee down in any way. Being pessimistic towards the employees, their work, and the project’s major goal will only lead to slow progress. This may even result in the goal not being achieved at all.
Conducting unnecessary meetings
Meetings are one of the most important tools for carrying out a project efficiently. But if the meetings are ineffective, without value, and irrelevant, they will lose their essence and will, in turn, lead to disinterest at the employee’s end.
Conclusion
Setting the right tone at the workplace for the employees leads to the efficient functioning of the firm. For example, suppose a firm can identify and remove such Corporate Viruses and inculcate good leadership and management practices.
In that case, it will help the firms innovate and create competitive advantages and result in a good working culture.
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