Chapter 29. Proximity management
When I started working as a manager, I had my own big office with a shiny desk, a new, fast computer, and a desk phone with more buttons than the ceremonial suit of your average dictator. I also had a workforce of a dozen software developers, to do with as I pleased. I lacked one thing: I had no clue how to be a manager.
When I investigated my “communication issue,” I realized its solution involved proximity. Sitting side-by-side in the same room is more effective than having two people sit in private adjacent offices.
The first approach: move your behind
When you understand that distance reduces communication, you can try to optimize communication by optimizing proximity. The suggestions on how to do this differ in detail, but they all boil down to the same thing: the manager should move away from their desk, toward the important work.
The advice is often presented under the Japanese name Gemba, which says the manager ought to be there where the work happens in order to understand how healthy the organization is and to help solve any problems people might have, using facts and not assumptions.
Other names you may find are Genchi Genbutsu, Go and See, and Management by Walking Around (MBWA). In the case of distributed teams, this could become Management by Flying Around (MBFA).
The second approach: move your desk
Years ago I realized the concept of “being where the work happens” can be taken a step further. I solved it by picking up my stuff to sit with my team at a normal desk. This allowed me to absorb more of what was going on. People spontaneously asked for my opinion and I picked up signs of joy and frustration, which I wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t been there.
When there are more teams involved, you can combine the two techniques according to two proximity principles:
- Distance to people should match importance of work. See what your teams are working on or how they work, and sit with the team that needs special attention.
- Diversity in distance should match diversity of work. Optimize your communication with others by walking around. There should be diversity in your distance to people, which depends on the diversity of their locations and their work.
Whatever you do, go to the problems. Don’t wait for problems to find you.
Roy’s analysis
In the larger context of this book, this note deals with one of the influence forces: environmental ability. By moving closer to where the important things are, you have more ability to notice and react to things faster.
You change your environment to better enable behaviors from yourself as a manager, and from your team, by making yourself more approachable.
JURGEN APPELO Since 2008, Jurgen has been writing a popular blog at www.noop.nl, which deals with development management, software engineering, business improvement, personal development, and complexity theory. He’s the author of the book Management 3.0: Leading Agile Developers, Developing Agile Leaders (Addison Wesley Professional, 2001), which describes the role of the manager in agile organizations. He also authored the book How to Change the World (Jojo Ventures BV, 2012), which describes his new supermodel for change management.