liveBook · Manning

Management by wandering around

As explained in Tech Startup Toolkit

Management by wandering around is a management practice in which leaders interact informally and regularly with employees where they work.

Management by wandering around means making regular, informal contact with employees where they work. Leaders use these conversations to check whether people understand the strategy and their roles. section 22.3.2

Make the practice useful by:

  • Visiting individual contributors across functions, asking what they understand, and explaining anything unclear. section 22.3.2
  • Repeating the message often enough that strategy and responsibilities become understood across teams. section 22.3.2
  • Adapting the walkaround to remote work through quick, voluntary Google Meet drop-ins arranged in Slack. section 22.3.2

A remote walkaround

A manager notices a quick question, Slacks an employee, and—if invited—joins the employee’s Meet link within seconds for a brief face-to-face conversation. section 22.3.2

How Tech Startup Toolkit covers it

How deep it goes
Details daily walkarounds, clarification questions, repetition, and remote adaptation through communication tools.
Examples
Uses functional-team check-ins and remote Google Meet conversations initiated through Slack.
What it assumes
Assumes an organizational strategy and employee roles exist; teaches leaders to clarify both through repeated contact.
What you can do after
Apply it through regular employee conversations that reveal misunderstandings and clarify strategy or responsibilities.
How it connects
Connects organizational alignment with team collaboration, strategy communication, trust, and listening.
Cover of Tech Startup Toolkit
liveBookmanning.com
Read Tech Startup Toolkit on liveBook Get the book at manning.com

This explainer was generated by Manning's knowledge graph from the text of Tech Startup Toolkit. The section links point to the parts of the book it draws on.