What the 'Undercover Boss' Didn't See

On the debut of the TV program Undercover Boss, a humbled Larry O'Donnell, CEO of Waste Management, stood before his cheering workers and pledged reforms based on his time spent undercover in his own company. Secretly, we all wished that our own bosses could see how hard we work and make our jobs easier.

O'Donnell had spent a tiring, stressful time riding garbage trucks, flushing porta-potties, and sorting recyclables. From his experience he announced improvements in the business including some pay increases, policy changes and the expected task force to study the issue.

Too bad Larry didn't see the real problem at Waste Management, which his Band-Aid approach won't fix. His organization, like some of the body waste it handles, flows down hill, if you get my drift. Jodi Glickman, founder and president of communication consulting firm Great on the Job, saw this same problem and writes about it on HBR.org.

"Larry didn't look at the big picture of what the show had revealed. Instead of fixating on the individual problems that had surfaced, Larry should have realized that WM appears to be an organization in which no effective feedback loop exists. The five lucky employees who spent a day with Larry were unlikely to be the only ones suffering at the hands of the productivity missives barreling down from the top."

Larry might be in for another problem, according to recent research from Harvard researchers Anita Tucker and Sara Singer. Their recent working paper titled "Going Through the Motions" concludes that managers who walk the front lines in an attempt to uncover and fix problems actually cause more damage to employee morale if they pay only lip service to making improvements. And I'm afraid that's what Larry O'Donnell has set up at Waste Management.

Did you see the show? What did you take away?

(Chainsaw boss image (not from the TV show) by personeelsnet, CC 2.0)