Do we over-manage?

Article Type: News From: International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Volume 57, Issue 7

A Swedish economist has, in his recent doctoral thesis, shown that worker productivity increases in companies facing closure. The reason put forward by Magnus Hansson to explain this is that when management is distracted from daily operations, the employees of failing firms shoulder a greater responsibility for their work, and efficiency is thus enhanced.

People complain about managerialism, and for very good reason. It is an impediment to good governance, whether that be of state and local authority agencies, or commercial concerns such as those studied by Dr Hansson.

His conclusion? We should manage less.