KN Simon
How do you think a “bossless” environment would lead to higher productivity?.
For this discussion, you will read from the Annual Editions: Maidment, F. (2013). Annual Editions: Management (17th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/ Dushkin.
ISBN-10: 1121833810 or ISBN-13: 9781121833814
Textbook article, “Who’s the Boss? There Isn’t One,” and then answer the following questions with a minimum of 200 words:
1. How do you think a “bossless” environment would lead to higher productivity?
2. What are some of the advantages and some of the disadvantages of a “bossless” environment?
3. Do you think you would like to work in a “bossless” environment? Why or why not?
The discussion requires correct grammar and at least one citation in proper APA style.
How do you think a “bossless” environment would lead to higher productivity?
B:
Answer the 2 posts below with a minimum of 100 words each.
1) A bossless environment can lead to more productivity for workers, but there is a significant emphasis on the word “can”. There’s a few different things that have to happen for a bossless organization to succeed, but the most important is that it must possess a group of “highly motivated workers.” (Silverman, 2018) In the more traditional hierarchal organizations, workers can come to work and operate at fifty percent of effort and get away with it for years before their superiors catch on. This lack of desire to put forth maximum efforts often times stems from lack of investment in the success of the company or just a general feeling of disinterest in the actual job they are performing. In a bossless organization success hinges on all of the workers being passionate about the various tasks they are tackling. While there are ways for people in this type of organization to be held accountable if they put forth an inadequate amount of effort, it is much more difficult than in a hierarchical organization where there’s a person in charge who can easily hire and fire at will (usually). There is something to be said for the elimination of many middle management positions that tend to clog up the works so to speak, however most companies still operate within the general model of bosses and employees.
There is definitely a slew of pros and cons in reference to the bossless structure, a few of which have already been discussed. Greg Coomer, an employee of Valve pointed out one significant pro for their bossless organization when it came to whether or not a product should be carried out. He said, “When no one takes the lead, it’s usually a sign that the project isn’t worth doing.” (Silverman, 2018) This resonated to me personally because too many times do you read in local and national media outlets about companies who spend large amounts of cash on various expansions/new ideas only to have them not pan out. Perhaps if they had a structure similar to Valve they wouldn’t lose so much money on bad projects, who’s to say? One downside that was touched on previously, is the lack of accountability without a person in charge. A person who truly wanted to just skate by doing the minimum could potentially get away with it by bouncing from group to group in a bossless organization, limiting their exposure to any one person for too long. Since no one really gets to see their work ethic for an extended period they can be quite hard to catch.
I personally do not think I could function in a bossless organization. I very much like structure in my life, I like to know what I’m doing, who I’m doing it for, and why I’m doing it. This isn’t to say that I am not driven, I take great pride in putting forth the very best effort I can in everything I do. However, after being in the Army and being deployed to Iraq, I have seen firsthand the benefits that a highly hierarchal organization can have. To be fair the organization would have to have solid leadership up and down the totem pole to ensure employee satisfaction and overall success for the company as well. Plus I believe that the hierarchy of an organization gives something for employees to work for. Like in the military where enlisted soldiers and officers can move up through the ranks with a combination of time in service and ability, so to should be the case in a company. I as an employee am much more likely to put forth an excellent effort if I know there is future promotions, raises, etc. than if I was to just constantly be working at the same level.
( Sean Thumma)
2) How do you think a “bossless” environment would lead to higher productivity?
I was surprised after reading this article that those types of environments exist. I think that the most important aspect to a “bossless” environment is having a group of people who trust each other and who can get along well together. Every team has individuals who think they should be running the show or who have trouble when they don’t get their way, or their idea is not the best. But I can defiantly see the opportunity for more productivity when you take out the mid-level managers who sometimes ends up dragging a project to a halt with paperwork or in-decision. With a “bossless” environment, each team member feels more involved and they fell they have more of a stack in the project. Positive results will be because of the team, not the manager.
What are some of the advantages and some of the disadvantages of a “bossless” environment?
Some of the advantages to a “bossless” environment are that your team has the potential to get along better if the right group of workers are on the same team. Productivity could increase due to the fact that the workers feel as though they are more part of the project and they benefit directly if things go well. Another advantage is that team members are more likely to make suggestions to a group of like-minded co-workers than to their manager or boss. Some of the disadvantages are that if the project or job goes wrong, the “bossless” team has to take on that responsibility of failure and not the boss. Another issue I can see is that if you have an employee who is not a team player or they don’t agree with the team, they could possibly stir trouble and distrust within the team that could affect productivity. Many teams have that one person who doesn’t pull their own weight, in a “bossless” environment these types of employees could go un-noticed and not be challenged for some time.
Do you think you would like to work in a “bossless” environment? Why or why not?
As much as the thought of this type of environment intrigues me, I think I would rather work under a boss who can provide solid direction, be a liaison between the team and upper management, and who can recognize the hard workers in the organization and reward them appropriately. Even though I am self-motivated and secure in my abilities, I think working under a boss is a better environment for me than the alternative. I do think that I would do well on a self-managed work team which might be a better option that would allow some independent thinking while also still having the leadership and accountability of a manager.
Essay Writing
How do you think a “bossless” environment would lead to higher productivity?
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