Five Sins Of Management Discipline
Five Sins Of Management Discipline 1
Summary
The article is a quick guide to the five most common errors managers and supervisors make when employee discipline is instituted. A dreaded process they all must face at some time, more often than not, the process is carried out in an ineffective way. This article identifies those errors and helps formulate an approach to discipline based on sound principles.
Error #1: Discipline As Punishment
Some managers believe that discipline should be a punishment. This is good if you’re in the military where your unwanted behavior could cause someone’s death. Unpredictable or opposite effects may result from harsh discipline. Discipline should be a learning experience with teeth. An employee must learn what is needed to bring his behavior in line with expectation.
If a dog shouldn’t be beaten during obedience training then why should a human be dealt with harshly in the workplace?
Error #2: Discipline As An I-You Confrontation
This common error explains how some managers see discipline as something done TO an employee, not something done with an employee. Both the staff member and the manager should work together to create a situation that encourages one to identify causes of problematic behavior, and to take action to correct those problems. Discipline need to be a positive process that produces positive results.
Error #3: Too Late, Too Late
Sometimes, for various reasons, managers are too slow in dealing with problematic behavior. This can lead to false perceptions by those with the bad behavior. It is very important that inappropriate behavior or actions in the workplace be, at minimum, noted, and the fact communicated with the staff member, right at the first occurrence.
Five Sins Of Management Discipline 2
Error #4: A Non-Progressive Approach
In conjunction with the previous three errors, discipline must be a progressive issue. It should start small, or less with less impact, at first and
Summary
The article is a quick guide to the five most common errors managers and supervisors make when employee discipline is instituted. A dreaded process they all must face at some time, more often than not, the process is carried out in an ineffective way. This article identifies those errors and helps formulate an approach to discipline based on sound principles.
Error #1: Discipline As Punishment
Some managers believe that discipline should be a punishment. This is good if you’re in the military where your unwanted behavior could cause someone’s death. Unpredictable or opposite effects may result from harsh discipline. Discipline should be a learning experience with teeth. An employee must learn what is needed to bring his behavior in line with expectation.
If a dog shouldn’t be beaten during obedience training then why should a human be dealt with harshly in the workplace?
Error #2: Discipline As An I-You Confrontation
This common error explains how some managers see discipline as something done TO an employee, not something done with an employee. Both the staff member and the manager should work together to create a situation that encourages one to identify causes of problematic behavior, and to take action to correct those problems. Discipline need to be a positive process that produces positive results.
Error #3: Too Late, Too Late
Sometimes, for various reasons, managers are too slow in dealing with problematic behavior. This can lead to false perceptions by those with the bad behavior. It is very important that inappropriate behavior or actions in the workplace be, at minimum, noted, and the fact communicated with the staff member, right at the first occurrence.
Five Sins Of Management Discipline 2
Error #4: A Non-Progressive Approach
In conjunction with the previous three errors, discipline must be a progressive issue. It should start small, or less with less impact, at first and
References: Bascal, Robert (2005). Five Sins Of Discipline. Taken from, http://performanceappraisals.org/Bacalsappraisalarticles/articles/sinsdisci.htm, on 12 March 2006.