http://www.computerworld.com/mobiletopics/mobile/story/
0,10801,105074,00.html
Connected or Addicted?
Opinion by Paul Glen
OCTOBER 03, 2005 (COMPUTERWORLD) - CIOs frequently invite me to give
presentations to their management teams or to facilitate retreats.
I'm always amazed by how many of the managers in those sessions feel
compelled to answer their cell phones or monitor their "crack-
berries" during those few short hours.
I could tell you that this is the cost of competing in the blistering
marketplace of the 24/7 economy, that it's the inevitable result of
globalization or that the participants in those meetings are just
important people. But I don't believe that pathological connectedness
is caused by any of these things.
I suspect that managers' rationalization for this sort of behavior
falls into four categories:
Neediness. The staff needs constant access to the boss in order to
remain at peak productivity. They need immediate decisions. The boss
needs a constant flow of status information. Without access, work stops.
Responsiveness. If the boss doesn't respond to the staff quickly
enough, he will be viewed as aloof, uncaring or disengaged. Remaining
in constant touch symbolizes the value that the boss places on the
staff.
Connectedness. Supervisor and staff form an intimate community. If
the boss disconnects from the collective, he will be lost.
Relationships. The boss is at the center of a network of
relationships and must constantly monitor and manage the expectations
of all the stakeholders. New technology has raised the expectations
of the speed of communication, so he must respond to everyone
immediately in order to maintain productive relationships.
While each of these has some validity, I suspect that they are more
excuses than explanations. This sort of behavior is really a symptom
of a deeper problem: connection addiction.
Dictionary.com offers one definition of addiction as "the condition
of being habitually or compulsively occupied with or involved in
something." Here, connectivity is the pathological something.
This connection fixation can arise for a number of reasons:
Ego. What could be a better ego stroke than having a constant line of
people waiting outside your electronic door? It's very satisfying to
be needed.
Mistrust of staff. Many managers fear that if they are out of touch,
their staff will be either unable or unwilling to continue working.
On one hand, they may assume that their people are incapable of
working without constant supervision. On the other, they may assume
that their people are inherently devious. Some may even believe both.
Sense of importance. That feeling of being the indispensable man is a
great high. It's great to be "in the loop," constantly "in the know."
Confusion about the real role of a manager. Too many managers have
adopted the mentality of the preindustrial foreman. They think that
the role of the manager in the age of knowledge work is the same as
that of the overseer on the plantation: to stand watch over the
workers and make sure that they're productive.
OK, you might say, hyperconnectedness isn't particularly useful, but
where's the harm?
This addiction has costs for everyone involved -- manager, staff and
organization.
For the manager, it leads to an unbalanced life. Everything takes on
an unnatural sense of urgency, and relaxing can be difficult. The
manager can also wind up constructing a personal identity that's too
tied up in a particular job. While business is important and fun,
it's too easy to lose a job and be left without a core sense of self.
For the staff, it creates a constant dependence on the presence of
the manager. This kills their desire to take initiative. They become
much more concerned with carrying out the boss's orders than with
meeting the goals of the organization.
Finally, the organization becomes fragile. If key players go missing,
the productivity of dozens of people may suffer.
If you can't disconnect the electronic bands of connectivity for a
couple of weeks or even for a few hours, you need to rethink your
management approach. Hyperconnectivity could be a symptom of an
important problem. Great managers create organizations that are
resilient enough to keep moving ahead, no matter who is out of touch.
Paul Glen helps technical organizations to grow better leaders and
managers to perform at their best. He is the author of the award-
winning book Leading Geeks. Contact him at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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