Chapter 29. Proximity management
When I started working as a manager, I had my own big office with a shiny desk, a new, fast computer, and a desk phone with more buttons than the ceremonial suit of your average dictator. I also had a workforce of a dozen software developers, to do with as I pleased. I lacked one thing: I had no clue how to be a manager.
When I investigated my “communication issue,” I realized its solution involved proximity. Sitting side-by-side in the same room is more effective than having two people sit in private adjacent offices.
When you understand that distance reduces communication, you can try to optimize communication by optimizing proximity. The suggestions on how to do this differ in detail, but they all boil down to the same thing: the manager should move away from their desk, toward the important work.
The advice is often presented under the Japanese name Gemba, which says the manager ought to be there where the work happens in order to understand how healthy the organization is and to help solve any problems people might have, using facts and not assumptions.
Other names you may find are Genchi Genbutsu, Go and See, and Management by Walking Around (MBWA). In the case of distributed teams, this could become Management by Flying Around (MBFA).