What does democracy lead to?

I have met many articles about how proper distribution of labor allows you to optimize the work of any company. I read a huge number of books, which give advice to managers and managers on long-term and operational planning. I watched interviews with leading psychologists and sociologists to build a healthy atmosphere within the company. But I could not explain what our leadership did.

I myself live in the Far East and have become accustomed to the fact that the majority of companies belong to one degree or another to the guys who are used to dealing with the problems with the available tools. Now they are respectable men who in the dashing 1990s did this. In general, people are pragmatic, but at the same time quick-tempered.

So settling into a local media holding, I got to be the head of a man who had the talent to “inspire” people to work, almost without affecting their dignity. And I can say that with such a despotic person, the work was going productively, since everyone was fulfilling their duties, and did not meet in endless meetings and meetings.
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Some lyrics:

When our designer experienced difficulties in arranging items for corporate identity, our boss approached him, gave a little hug and said: “If you don’t do it in two hours and continue to shake the air, then I’ll suggest you make 7 different colored red lines perpendicular to each other to a friend. And if you are not able to cope with this, then I will raise the question of your professional incompetence. ” Patted on the shoulder and went on.

When the saleswoman started our girl at the other end, “rudely scolded”, he picked up the phone and began to explain to the person with rather tough words that he was wrong, and he should have been very patient with the lady. What quickly led to the resolution of the situation and the restoration of the morale of our charming employee.

All employees performed their duties as quickly and professionally as possible, and that was, not because of the dictatorship of the boss, but because of the awareness of the usefulness of the work we are doing. We didn’t have meetings and summing up any results, it’s just that the boss came in and put a chubby envelope with the words “Thank you” to people who did a good job this month. Well, it was nice to know that the head, though, “mixes you with….”, But it will help to resolve the situation.

What was the basis of this management model:

Our boss was well aware that the team employs professionals who have their own ideas about the business needs of our clients and can offer creative solutions. But he also understood that what needs to be done is revenue, and the development of the company and new divisions should follow the demand. And if it is not there yet, then our company does not have enough strength to spend money on creating demand.

• Despotism;
• Stability;
• Stable reward for the patience of creative people;
• Prompt resolution of difficulties and questions;
• A clear understanding of their capabilities and market size;

And no matter how people complained about the harshness of our boss, but the work was done, the volume gradually increased and the salary of the workers also gradually increased. Everything was, in general, excellent, until there was a problem for which no one was ready.

When dictator change to a democrat

Business expanded, new directions appeared where a competent manager was required. And one of the beautiful days we were told that the head moved to another city, and we will be led by his son-in-law, who recently received a second higher education. He was 32 years old.
Appearing on the very first day of work, he quickly began to study the current state of affairs, did not particularly guide us, and at each key moment he called our boss in another city and specified his points of interest.

As time went on, we carried out our work according to the previous instructions, until one day we were assembled for the first meeting. In colors and bright comparisons they explained to us why we are so narrow-minded people, why everything is wrong with us, and that we are “ossified” in our swamp. We were also informed that our creative proposals would now be taken into account, and that we should not keep everything to ourselves.

What it looked like in reality

From the next day, people stopped working in our company. Everyone just sat and talked about how it would be good to improve our work, redeploy specialists and automate work with clients. In other words, everyone sat and talked about how to shift part of their work to another person.

At the slightest suggestion, we stopped working, we were gathered in the office of the head, and we all listened to a two-hour lecture on the strengths and weaknesses of our company, market challenges and innovative solutions for automating the sales department.

For two weeks, we almost every day studied the features of our market, despite the fact that we needed to do current work. The sales department did not work with clients, journalists did not write materials, designers did not create, and service engineers sat and studied the customization of new solutions for the automation of the sales department (CRM).

The month has come to an end, and it is time to get paid. And here people raised a revolution. It turns out that if you listen to theory and hold meetings for a month, then you won’t find clients, and you won’t be able to get work done for them, and you won’t get interest for it. All sit on gray schemes, when the salary is minimal, and everything else is interest. And then the interest did not happen. Somehow people were assured that it always happens during a change, and our creative efforts ended.

Subsequent months of work

The managers have one peculiarity that makes them people capable of managing, namely the ability to take responsibility for the decision. But it so happened that our new chief blindly believed in democracy and the meeting. Every time he had to make a decision, he asked people and took one of the opinions into the matter.

At the expiration of the time when the result appeared or its absence, an amusing picture took place. If the decision turned out to be the right one, then he called the head of the company with a certain pathos and reported on how well done he was and that he should have written the prize. At the same time, no rewards and envelopes were received by the person who actually developed this plan. He took everything for himself.

But if this decision was unsuccessful. He also called the head, and said with such a perplexity that he had been deceived and given the wrong professional advice. That this is not his mistake, but a particular employee is to blame for everything. And this employee was ordered to pay a fine or extra work was done.

What did it lead to

Such a democracy has led people to stop sharing their ideas with superiors. When he began to look for a scapegoat, everyone left or was silent. The decision was not taken and everything became a stake.

At the request of employees to put a more competent person, we were refused. Maybe it is by virtue of kinship, maybe the head “was able to hang noodles,” but after 3 months of work by the new manager, all the leading experts left. Here is such a democracy.

And the conclusion is that sometimes a clear framework and control contribute to stable work, and “innovation” is the word that inept managers began to close when making bad decisions.