January 12, 2010MBTS: Management by throwing spaghetti at the wall
Management authors and consultants are apt to name and define new management styles such as MBO: Management by Objective, and MBWA: Management by Walking Around. I have my own style. I call it MBTS. That’s Management by Throwing Spaghetti at the Wall.
First you throw ideas out to see what sticks, and what associates do with the ideas. You don’t tell them what you want because you don’t know until you see what sticks to the wall. That tells you what spaghetti to throw at it next. Eventually the projects get defined.
Some associates love it and others… well… they find it maddening. They prefer to start with a recipe – with a concrete list of action steps. You’ll get to those lists eventually once you’ve sorted the spaghetti. And it will be a much better list than you would have if you started in a linear fashion.
Stephen Covey would call it cultivating synergy. I call it reciprocal engagement. Whatever it is, it requires a good level of comfort with ambiguity. And whatever it is, it works really well… if you can stand it.
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I like to take the spaghetti that has been thrown at the wall, add a little Parmesan if it needs it, put it in a bowl, and serve it back to my manager when it is ready. The MBTS method seems to suit me quite well.
Comment by Ashley — January 12, 2010 @ 5:25 pm
It’s a great way to find out if something is worth pursuing. Take an idea and run with it for a few days – if you’re making progress and it still seems worthwhile after you’ve uncovered a few layers, keep working at it. If it seems like it’s not going anywhere or there’s no benefit, cross it off the list and try something else. It’s better to try something and find out it doesn’t work than to trash every new idea because it might not add enough value.
Comment by Katy — January 12, 2010 @ 6:11 pm
How do you deal with a team of types that can handle a little spaghetti against the wall mixed with types that cannot?
Comment by Tina — January 14, 2010 @ 7:46 am
To me this is a bigger question, because any manager who likes to throw spaghetti on the wall has a creative management style and would do well to teach employees a bit about what that means and how to work in that way. So make reference to the style in general to create an awareness that there are style differences. Then, before you “toss the spaghetti,” tell them what you’re doing. Tell them it’s an exploration. If the more linear among you start judging before you’re ready for that, tell them you’re still in the exploration phase.
With any luck, once they’ve been through the process often enough they’ll understand what’s going on while it’s happening.
Comment by merylrunion — January 14, 2010 @ 8:59 am
Works great for getting started. True brainstorming where all ideas are welcome and safe from criticism. Staying open to different ways of thinking, designing, etc. Clarifying the goal. I especially like that it allows for and demonstrates management’s desire for keeping everyone involved and invested. But at some point you get to that point where “too many cooks spoil the broth.” A good manager knows when that is and how to guide the many in letting go of the earlier stage of the process and trusting the few to carry their ideas to fruition.
Comment by Kathleen — January 24, 2010 @ 1:50 pm