Carbon Fibre, Sweat and Management Theory

“Holding managers accountable for results is evidence for more primitive thought than doing a rain dance to break a drought.”  – Etsko Schuitema

I love a leisurely Sunday morning bicycle ride to Stellenbosch’s Mugg and Bean for a few mugs of Java. It gives me a chance to clear my head and keep moderately fit. During the ride this Sunday I looked down at my trip computer and my mind drifted off towards management theory. (Propeller-heads also cycle you know!)

Management is so obsessed with checking output and output only, that they invariable neglect checking the input. We are only interested in the results. We don’t care how you get there as long as you post the results.

During the Dark Ages of modern management this was OK as the role of the manager was to threaten and coerce the employee in order to produce a result. I’m not even sure if the word ethics was in the dictionary until mid 80s. Sadly some companies like Enron was still using the old ’65 printed editions as late as 2005 (So I’ve heard).

Back to my bicycle. So was my trip computer telling me: Input or output? How was I managing my ride, with inputs or outputs? If the management theory of input/output holds true it should hold true for the system called a bicycle.

Evaluating my ride and the functions on my Sigma I came to following conclusions: As with companies the levels of measurement and controls vary in the level in their levels of sophistication.

Novice Rider

When starting out the aim of the cyclists is just to get from point A to Point B without falling. Time and speed is largely irrelevant. The same goes with a start-up company. The only real concern in the 1^st year is to survive and find customers. The level of sophistication is low and it’s only the cash flow that gets attention.

Intermediate Rider

As you progress, you purchase an entry level trip computer with limited functions. These computers are now at least continuously giving output measures. Speed and distance and maybe a heart rate monitor to tell you how fit you are. You can now adjust your performance going forward if you have a goal in place. The output is related to past performance and there is nothing that can be done to change the results on the day.

Advance Rider

After a while you become fit and get into the “equipment upgrade” cycle.(This is about the time you start hiding your credit card print-out from your wife) We are now getting real sophisticated and very serious about improving our performance.

The upgrades are now all about checking inputs as guides for adjusting effort and technique.

Inputs:

• Cadence. Taking our lead from Lance Armstrong most cyclists these days agree that they need to maintain their leg speed at approximately 90 rpm for optimum efficiency.
• Watts. This amount of power input exerted on the pedals and is measured by the power-tap in my crank. More watts more speed, less Watts less sweat.

Other inputs required with are easier to understand as they are put into the body

• Nutrition
• Fluid intake
• Exercise program

Some other inputs include the size and model of the bike, Carbon fibre, titanium or what-have-you space age materials that your wallet can accommodate. All these inputs influence the ultimate output of your ride.

There is only one output of importance.

• Average Speed. The speed my bicycle is travelling at is determined by the Watts and cadence exerted by my legs on the pedals. If my Watts and cadence are kept at the required level, the speed happens as a result of my effort. When participating in a race the cyclist with the highest average speed wins.

Summary: Even for a simple action like cycling it is clear that when we get really serious we start checking the inputs to improve the results. The outputs are only checked at regular intervals to make decisions whether to change the inputs. If we are serious about managing our people properly we will do the same. Sadly, a lot of advanced companies still keep to the methods of a Novice and check the output only. Like in racing this method can lead to others passing by.

PS: The purpose of this blog entry is not to explain cycling. I know there are a lot of other factors that affect a ride. I merely am trying to explain the significance of managing inputs as opposed to output.