By Kevin Meyer
Over the last several weeks many of us have watched episodes of Undercover Boss. The premise is that a CEO has the brilliant insight, with the prodding of television producers, that he should visit the "front lines" to see what is really happening in his company. So off he goes, announcing to his stunned staff that he's "going undercover" to actually visit the troops, changing clothes in the executive locker room that all those companies seem to have but no company I've worked for has ever had, and checks into a cheap motel. The horrors!
It gets better. Usually he then acts dumb and ignorant, often gets fired from some entry level position, and is flabbergasted when he finds that some incredibly smart or dedicated people are not being utilized or that they have tear-rendering personal challenges that the company has somehow overlooked.
Yes, it still gets even better. The executive eventually returns to the hallowed cherry-paneled halls, can finally put his suit back on, and then summons his stricken underlings to his beloved headquarters. He meets again with each of them, reveals his identity, and does some good deed for them that changes their lives but with the exception of a couple minor programs does nothing to change the underlying condition.
Pathetic, truly pathetic. I guess an undercover stroll through a garbage dump is better than nothing, but not much. What got me riled up this morning was an article discussing how the improving economy is allowing executives the time to visit their operations more.
As the economy recovers, employees are more likely to see a new presence in the office—their chief executive.
Chiefs who spent last year battling the recession are coming out of
their foxholes to talk more with staffers. It's an effort to boost
morale, solicit ideas and better understand employee concerns. Some
hope to stave off defections ahead of a job-market recovery.At US Airways Group Inc., CEO Douglas Parker is making weekly appearances at pilot-training
sessions. Quicken Loans Inc. CEO Bill Emerson began holding weekly
two-hour lunch meetings with employees in January.
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Chairman Robert Moritz is asking executives
to roam the halls more."As the economy turns around, there's more of a risk of losing
people so we've increased the efforts" to talk with workers, Mr. Moritz
says.
Fine and dandy, about time, but "walking around" isn't enough. Roaming the halls and spying on the water cooler isn't learning about your organization. And it especially isn't a gemba walk.
What a lost opportunity these executives have, especially the ones that go "undercover."
A real leader isn't scared of his operations – he knows they are critical to the organization's success and wants to spend every possible moment in the trenches. He doesn't just want to learn about what's going on, he wants to teach. He wants to challenge the status quo, bring out ideas, find better ways. Help people understand why he and the organization is following a certain path, what his concerns are and solicit help and ideas.
What if the guys in Undercover Boss kept their identity, went to their operations every day so that their presence wasn't a disruption – but was even welcome. What if they were in their operations so often, at such a level, that incredible trust was built up so everyone felt comfortable bringing up any issue… and any idea. What if the top executive led groups of people in spontaneous kaizen activities. Teaching, creating, changing. Not just sneaking around and watching.
Wouldn't that be a great TV show? Maybe not. Not enough drama, mayhem and intrigue. Not good for TV. But probably good for business.
Mark Graban says
Amen. Perfectly said. I’m doing a webinar tomorrow on Gemba Walks and front line leadership for my home-state Michigan Lean Consortium. One of my key points is that Undercover Boss is NOT a Gemba Walk!
Bryan says
Doug Parker of U.S. Airways ought to travel one of his regional commuters, a.k.a. “The Flying Coffin” to get a good feel for the genba.
I have to admit that Undercover Boss is definitely contrived and is NOT a genba walk. But perhaps you are being a bit over critical of the show?
The episodes that I have seen have followed CEOs working jobs they didn’t know existed in their company, struggling to keep up with line equipment too fast for operators, getting bullied by supervisors, receiving the worst training ever, etc. In other words, they get a week to be on the receiving end of the very policies and “best practices” that they put in place. Many of the CEOs come to this realization in the show, although their actions of promoting downtrodden people to rectify the situation does little to fix the root cause. What would be most entertaining is to watch an hour of the boardroom meeting where the CEO lays out all of his observations to his staff. Afterall, is not the boardroom meeting on “The Apprentice,” really the selling point of the show? Where the managers have to justify their actions? The question of, “what to do next?” and how that plays out with management, would make Undercover Boss a better show than it is today.
Regardless, its seems to me that for some CEOs, going undercover seemed to be an eye-opening experience.
I agree that the show would be better if it were just teaching, creating, changing. But TV doesn’t have a choice: they must ruin ordinary daily reality with drama, superficial conflict and suspense.
David Drickhamer says
I watched one episode and the efforts taken to make it interesting to a TV audience turned people into caricatures. Good work and effective management practices simply don’t make good TV. You know there’s a colossal disconnect within an organization when a man trailing a camera crew isn’t recognized as the CEO.
Jim Fernandez says
Good point Kevin.!!
Also, I think that the article in the Wall Street Journal is contrived. The person who wrote it found a couple of executives doing something interesting and wrote a story about it.
Suggesting that this kind of thing is happening all over the place because of the “recovering economy” is ridiculous. Here where I work they just laid off 5% of the workforce. If I see my boss coming to my gemba, I’m going to run and hide……
Mark Welch says
Well put, Kevin, especially the note on not doing much, if anything, to address the underlying causes.
For your next television show review, please consider “The Apprentice.” I’ve been trying to get my wife to understand how I abhor the blatant blame and shame game they play when they fire someone – the culture of fear and intimidation. As McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest would have put it, “Those are nothin’ but chicken peckin’ sessions…”
Tim McMahon says
Great post. I once had a plant manager in our region tell me that he spends time every week walking the plant without an agenda. I said that is useless. What are you trying to accomplish? He had a weak answer. I said you must go to the gemba with purpose. I think you covered that idea well with your post
Tim McMahon
A Lean Journey
http://leanjourneytruenorth.blogspot.com
Jamie Flinchbaugh says
Absolutely right.
MBWA without a framework for observing and a purpose in being there is more like Management by Wandering Aimlessly.
Jamie
Mark Graban says
Another fawning WSJ piece about a CEO who is, gasp, spotted in the cafeteria and the factory – GM’s Ed Whitacre.
WSJ link: http://lnbg.us/1CK
When did we make kings of these CEOs, that they can’t mingle with the common man?
Jason Morin says
Why does a visit to the plant floor HAVE to be a Gemba walk every time? What’s the harm in doing an occassional stroll and observing the activities in the plant? Pure observation can be very educational (didn’t Ohno draw a circle on the floor or something?). Of course I don’t disagree that a plant manager needs to be engaged, but y’all have created a very circumscribed definition of a Gemba Walk, and if an executive doesn’t follow it to the letter, what he is doing is worthless. Hogwash.
Remember that he is a leader, not an engineer. His job is not to solve engineering problems, but support the engineers and line workers who do. An executive who makes the effort to visit his operations frequently, talk with his people, ask questions, and listen is going to win my respect. And if he comes on to the floor and doesn’t engage everyone he sees, then that’s OK, too. At least he’s on the floor…some executives never leave their office.
Joakim Storck says
A top manager in an innovation-based company needs deep and detailed knowledge about both operations and markets, because good strategy bridges that gap.
Walking around is a bare minimum. Look at people like Steve Jobs (Apple), Bill Gates (Microsoft), Yvonne Chouinard (Patagonia), Richard Branson (Virgin) or Ingvar Kamprad (IKEA). All are strong entrepreneurs who became great leaders through their personal involvement in operations.
The CEO should know a great deal about things like: How do our products work, how does our production work, how does our quality system work, how does our organisation work. Etc. etc. Great management capabilities can’t be learned at business school, at least not if you want to create an outstanding company. It can be a start, but in an innovative company, managers’ need to be a part of corporate culture, not manage it from outside.