Ronald R. Sims - The Challenge of Front-Line Management: Flattened Organizations in the New Economy

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The Challenge of Front-Line Management

Flattened Organizations
in the New Economy

Ronald R. Sims,
John G. Veres III,
Katherine A. Jackson,
and Carolyn L. Facteau

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

The challenge of front-line management : flattened organizations in the new economy /
Ronald R. Sims [et al.].
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1567203736 (alk. paper)
1. Supervision of employees. 2. Industrial management. 3. Middle managers.
I. Sims, Ronald R.
HF5549.12.C427 2001
658.43dc21 00032818

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available.

Copyright 2001 by Ronald R. Sims, John G. Veres III, Katherine A. Jackson, and Carolyn L. Facteau

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, by any process or technique, without the express written consent of the publisher.

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 00032818
ISBN: 1567203736

First published in 2001

Quorum Books, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
www.quorumbooks.com

Printed in the United States of America

The paper used in this book complies with the Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National Information Standards Organization (Z39.481984).

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Ronald R. Sims. I extend special thanks to my wife, Serbrenia, and to my children, Nandi, Dangaia, and Sieya, who provide ongoing support and encouragement, and to a very special friend and mentor, Herrington Bryce, who continues to challenge me to learn and grow.

John G. Veres III. I would like to dedicate this work to Frances M. and John G. Veres, Jr., and to Beth, Erin, John Jozef, and Olivia Veres, who have all taught me much and put up with more; to Wiley Bolyes and W. O. Jenkins, who taught me most of what I know about my discipline; and to the employees of the Center for Business, past and present, from whom I learned to manage at least tolerably well.

Katherine A. Jackson. I would like to dedicate this book to Nancy Jackson, a parent and educator who nurtured my early leanings toward an academic life; to Curtis Jackson, who fostered in me an appreciation for the practical; and to John G. Veres III, who hired me and nominated me for the Lucy B. Hall Award for Excellence.

Carolyn L. Facteau. I would like to thank my husband, Jeff, who is always there to support and encourage my efforts; my children, David and Katherine, for the constant joy they bring to my life; and my parents, Ralph and Sally Lehr, for teaching me by example the value of setting high goals but remembering that family should always be the highest priority.

Ronald R. Sims. I wish to acknowledge the administrative support of the College of William and Mary. The final and most deserved acknowledgment is for my co-authors. Without their professional and personal involvement in this project, this book would not exist.

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John G. Veres III, Katherine A. Jackson, and Carolyn L. Facteau. We wish to acknowledge the assistance of Carmen Moa-Rovera, who suffered bravely in manuscript preparation; Cindy Forehand, whose insightful editorial comments proved invaluable; and Ronald R. Sims, for displaying the drive needed to shepherd this work to completion.

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Marston Technologies is an international computer manufacturing company with 10,000 employees in 20 countries. Teresa McCullough and Larry Washington are employees in one of the companys largest facilities. Both have been with the company approximately four years. This morning, while attending a computer training program, their manager, Stan Lawrence, gave Teresa and Larry a big shock. He asked both of them if they would like to become front-line managers (FLMs). Stan explained that two of the FLMs in different parts of the company were being promoted and that he needed two new FLMs. Stan also stated that he felt Teresa and Larry would make good FLMs because they both (1) were highly recommended by their current FLMs, (2) knew the job, and (3) knew people in the two departments that were losing the FLMs. Stan asked both of them to think it over and let him know their decisions the next day. Later, Teresa saw Larry at lunch and they began discussing the possibilities of the new jobs. Both of them agreed that they had never given much thought to being an FLM. They wondered just what the job of FLM would entail.

If you are like Teresa and Larry, you want to learn what being an FLM means. Managing on the front line is a challenging and sometimes taxing activity. FLMs are responsible for the work of others as well as their own work. They must solve problems, make decisions, and take action. They experience pressures from top- and middle-level managers, their employees, and an ever-changing world of work and society. FLMs never seem to have enough time to get their work done.