What is management malpractice?
Any organizational practice or activity that makes it difficult for people to perform their jobs, develop themselves, coordinate with others, find fulfillment, create value and get results for themselves and their organizations. It occurs when management principles or corporate values are preached but not practiced and always involves an abuse of power, knowledge or relationships.
How prevalent is management malpractice in today’s workplace?
It’s rampant. Every organization on earth suffers from it to some degree. Management malpractice is the single greatest obstacle preventing organizations from becoming great, getting results, attracting talent, developing leaders, helping people to improve, nurturing innovation, creating value and making the world a better place to live and learn in.
After all the media coverage of recent corporate scandals, is management malpractice getting better or worse?
Worse, much worse. According to a recent Gallup survey, more then 70% of U.S. workers are disengaged in their work. Cynicism and distrust permeate today’s workplace. 80% of workers want nothing to do with management—a percentage that’s increased 60% in the last decade.
Why is management malpractice so prevalent and getting worse?
First, because most people are afraid to stand up against it—afraid of being labeled, ostracized, black-balled, fired or otherwise damaged. Second, because too many leaders and managers either allow it or foster it. Third, because the number of organizations affecting people’s lives has grown exponentially in the past century, creating more opportunities for the malpractice of management than at any other time in history. Management malpractice has always existed, whenever people have come together in groups—families, tribes, communities, guilds, corporations, nations and societies—in search of survival, justice, order and prosperity. Once a structure or hierarchy gets put into place, management malpractice inevitably follows.
What are the effects of management malpractice?
Discouragement, productivity loss, disengagement, cynicism, distrust, demotivation, apathy, discord, bitterness, depression and the perpetuation of more malpractice. Management malpractice destroys people and organizations.
Who’s the best at preventing management malpractice and how do they do it?
The perennial favorites are Coca-Cola, Rubbermaid, Wal-Mart, Procter & Gamble, 3M, Merck, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, General Electric, Intel, Boeing, Hewlett-Packard, Berkshire Hathaway, Southwest Airlines, IBM, the Home Depot, J.P. Morgan, and Dow Jones—all of which have appeared at least five times on Fortune magazine’s annual list of America’s most admired companies during the past twenty years. While not perfect, these companies diligently strive to put great management principles and corporate values at the core of their organizational cultures.
Who’s the worst at preventing management malpractice and how do they change?
Enron, Global Crossing, WorldCom, Tyco, Kmart, Sunbeam, AT&T, HealthSouth, Arthur Andersen, Polaroid, and Qwest—all of which have lied, cheated, denied their mistakes, become slaves to Wall Street, devalued their employees, glorified their positions, or generally committed multiple acts of management malpractice. These companies must admit their management malpractice and then hire leaders willing and able to prevent it in the future.
What should you do if you’re being injured by management malpractice?
SEE IT, EXPOSE IT, PREVENT IT. People in organizations everywhere must develop the awareness to SEE IT, the courage to EXPOSE IT no matter what the consequences, and the resolve to PREVENT IT from happening again and again to them and the rest of the people in their organization. Move yourself from outrage to change.
How do you change if you’re the one who’s malpracticing management?
Acknowledgment and Reform. Too many leaders and managers accept management malpractice as a way of organizational life—after all most of them had to live through it to rise to their current positions. Unfortunately, they continue to rationalize and justify their wrongdoing. If you’re malpracticing management, STOP. Bring an end to the destructive cycle today, make amends with those you’ve injured, and resolve to do better and better, until you no longer malpractice management.
What can you do today to begin correcting the problem of management malpractice?
Log on to www.managementmalpractice.com and tell the world your story of how you have been demeaned, manipulated, lied to, oppressed, abused or otherwise injured by management malpractice. Begin transforming the workplace today by exposing management malpractice—SEE IT, EXPOSE IT, PREVENT IT—so we can start creating a workplace where people want to work, not have to work.
Have you battled management malpractice?
Tell us your story!