Unlocking the Benefits of ‘Managing by Walking Around’

Adopting a Managing by Walking Around (MBWA) approach allows leaders to engage directly with employees, offering a valuable perspective on daily operations and team dynamics

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on Forbes

Taking a walk around your workplace can reveal valuable insights about the internal state of your organisation. Managing by Walking Around (MBWA) is a leadership approach that underscores the significance of engaging with and interacting with employees across all levels of the organisation.

Management time is a limited and precious resource, often subjected to numerous competing demands. A valuable way for managers to allocate their time is by visiting different offices or facilities and engaging directly with those employees.

In a study titled “Motivating from the Heights: A Field Experiment on Top Managers Visiting the Front-Line,” researchers examined the impact of leadership visits on employee morale within a bank division. This division, which encompassed 79 branches and about 1,000 employees, measured the effect of these visits by comparing the sales volume of branches that received leadership visits to those that did not.

The researchers discovered that sales at branches saw a notable increase in the days leading up to the leadership visits, with this positive effect lasting for approximately a month afterward. Additionally, the impact of the visits was more pronounced at branches with stronger previous performance.

Asís Martínez-Jerez of Cornell University said, “Our evidence highlights the importance of personal interactions in motivating the workforce, something that is especially relevant at a time when most managers’ minds are focused on analytics and artificial intelligence, often relegating the human factor to a secondary role.”

Implementing a Walking About Management approach offers numerous benefits, fostering a more engaged and motivated workforce. By actively engaging with employees on the ground, leaders can gain firsthand insights into operations, address issues promptly and build stronger relationships with their teams.

In an era dominated by digital tools and data, the human touch of walking about can significantly enhance organisational effectiveness and employee satisfaction.