Undercover Boss

All eyes might have been on the Superbowl this past Sunday evening but I anxiously awaited the premiere of Undercover Boss , a “formatted documentary” show that follows executives as they assume front line jobs in their own companies. The show takes the workforce reframe, “executives don’t know what really goes on around here,” and provides an opportunity for executives to experience the good, bad and ugly of the day-to day activities within their companies. The intent of the experience is to position the executive to see how things can be done better at the company. Indeed, the first episode featuring the COO of a waste management company resulted in a number of changes after his experience, including raises for those handling multiple jobs to ways to make the company more female-friendly (The Los Angeles Times, January 10, 2010.)

Kudos to the executives who understand that the view from the executive office isn’t 360 degrees. In fact, research by Adam Galinsky (Professor of Management and Organizations at the Kellogg School of Management) and his co-authors Joe Magee (Assistant Professor of Management at New York University), M. Ena Inesi (Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior at the London Business School), and Deborah H. Gruenfeld (Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior at Stanford University) explored the effect of power on perspective-taking and suggests that people in power are prone to dismiss or, at the very least, misunderstand the viewpoints of those who lack authority.

The idea of “walking in another’s shoes” is not new to corporate America, however, it does seem to be gathering favor as executives understand the importance of staying close to their workforce and their customer base. Many companies have made it a part of their ongoing executive development programs. Disney started “Disney Dimensions” in 1990 where two dozen senior executives take on a theme park role one day each year.  Continental Airlines has been touted for its “Go Forward Day” where senior managers help airport workers serve passengers on the Friday before a holiday. Such initiatives can be extremely beneficial in understanding how the work gets done throughout a company. 

I would encourage executives to go a step further and enhance their visibility on a more frequent and consistent basis. Nothing can substitute for the knowledge gained through interaction with employees. The benefits of visibility include:

• Builds trust between staff and management
• Provides opportunities for management to identify and recognize the workforce for their contributions
• Lets staff know the management cares about the work being done and appreciates its importance to achieving organizational goals
• Encourages staff to make suggestions and offer opinions to improve the organization creating a stronger sense of ownership
• Provides the context for identifying opportunities for improvement and understanding the dynamics of decision choices
• Helps management recognize obstacles or barriers that need to be removed to achieve better outcomes

The executive producer for Undercover Boss, Stephen Lambert, told the Los Angeles Times that he “lost count” of how many companies turned him down to be featured on the show. Can you afford to “turn down” the opportunity to learn from those closest to the work?

Pam Bilbrey is a management consultant, coach and speaker that assists organizations in maximizing their strengths to yield extraordinary results. She has lead cultural transformations in some of the most prestigious organizations in the United States, Canada and Europe. More than 10,000 leaders have participated in her workshops and seminars. Pam has authored three books (BreakOUT: Unleash the Power of Human Capital, Reflections on Leading: Rants, Raves and Realities and Ordinary Greatness: It's Where You Least Expect It...Everywhere) and over fifty articles on employee engagement, leadership and team development and organizational change. 

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