Question:

Dear Ammar,

I am overwhelmed by the different management fads that are out there.  There is six sigma, business process reengineering, TQM, Project Management, etc. etc.  I cannot keep up.  Also, many times, these techniques end up being just a bubble or a fad that stays for a couple of years then it is forgotten.  It got to a point where I do not trust these fads and I just sit and wait for them to go away.  Still, consultants are relentless in coming back day in day out trying to convince us to do this technique or that.  So, we decided not to go with these fads and that is working fine for us.

Another company I know ended up being sold on these techniques but were never able to see them through, which resulted in team members dealing with tongue in cheek with any new improvement initiative.  They are in no better position than we are. 

Skeptical Manager

Answer

Dear Skeptical,

Your skepticism is understandable, given what you have mentioned above.  I agree with all that what you said; inability to carry through a change initiative might hurt a company more than help.  Also, many management “fads,” as you call them, end up being talked about like the hot topic of the year, then fade away into obscurity.  Not only you, but many are skeptical of these techniques that fall in and out of fashion, faster than clothes or jewelry.

Let us take an example, business process reengineering; it was the “in” thing to do for a while during the mid eighties to early nineties, then it was almost forgotten for almost a decade, before its new metamorphosis recently in a renewed shape and form.  When one of the gurus and creators of “Business Process Reengineering (BPR)” was asked about why this “business fad” seemed to go out of favor for a while, and why should we not expect it to disappear again in a few years, his answer was that it never went away.  It was always there and it became part of normal organizational development initiatives, that it was not a big deal to talk about any more.  So, it is not that it went away, it was always there but as new modifications or improvements occur to BPR, whether in process or technology, it appears again in what looks like a new fad.

In fact there is a multitude of industries and companies that benefited a great deal from the implementation of BPR.  While failures did occur, the probably were due to errors in implementation, rather than in the technique itself. 

So, the successful new management techniques never really go away.  They either become part of everyday business, or they end up resurfacing whenever another improvement is introduced to these techniques.  Most of the more solid techniques have stood the test of time and proven to be of high value to organizations who implement them.

To demonstrate with a real example, a Fortune 500 company who was attempting to implement a project management system in the early nineties was struggling with the new initiative and the changes it brought along.  There were concerns and questions from within the organization like “why should we spend so much time and effort on planning? Why do we need a dynamic schedule?” Etc. Very basic core questions that challenged the idea of project management itself.  However, fast forward three years later, the same client was using project management, planning, and scheduling the projects as a second nature.  It became part of everyday life.  So, over time, these questions disappeared and no one asked them anymore.  Meanwhile, new questions emerged, like “what is the best way to manage multiple projects? what is the best setup to develop project schedules?” etc. This means that a totally new level of maturity has emerged, pausing a whole set of new challenges and questions.  If the consultants pitching project management systems were still talking about the importance of scheduling, they would be kicked out because they would not be adding value.  The customer, by then, already figured out that scheduling is important and have moved to the next level, so the consultant needs to move promptly with them to the next level.  Same thing happens with scholars and people who come up with these methodologies.  As people mature enough in using them, management experts must  help people through the next hurdle, and stop beating on the same old drum (i.e. problem). 

It is true that there are some business concepts that weathered away over time and proved to be just fads.  However, there are some that continue to exist and morph into new forms as the business community becomes more mature.  These include project management, continuous improvement, and business process reengineering.  These are solid techniques that have stood the test of time and will stay alive and well within organizations, as long as they keep proving their value and offer a high return on investment.