Managers' symbolic physical presence on the frontlines does not necessarily have a positive impact
Observing and understanding the tasks and challenges that workers face every day is important. But managers who merely put in time "walking the floor" are not doing enough; in fact, it can make employees feel worse about their situation.
In their working paper "Going Through the Motions: An Empirical Test of Management Involvement in Process Improvement ," HBS professor Anita L. Tucker and Harvard School of Public Health professor Sara J. Singer show that communicating with frontline workers can backfire if managers make only a token effort to resolve issues their staff is encountering.
This article was provided with permission from Harvard Business School Working Knowledge.