Measuring manager effectiveness is like trying to measure how much snow has fallen when the blizzard isn’t over. You can’t see; the wind obscures your readings; there’s a lot more coming down. A manager’s effectiveness can be equally tricky because his/her role is so complex and multifaceted. Sometimes, it is only in hindsight that you can see if a manager has done the job well or not. At the same time, measuring effectiveness is essential because businesses don’t have the luxury of hindsight. They cannot afford to wait until it’s all over to assess performance. So, how do you do measure if you can’t wait until the storm’s over?
The role of the manager has four different dimensions, and within each one, there are ways to gauge effectiveness:
- Managerial duties. How effective is this person in areas such as setting context and boundaries, planning, and delegating? Are these things being done?
- Team work. How effective is the team as a whole? What is their level of performance? Are projects and work being completed on time? On budget? In accordance with quality standards
- Distribution of work across the team. Are the right tasks being given to the right people? Is the manager correctly identifying the work that he/she must personally do to add value? Is the team working together? Is employee morale high? Are individuals’ capacities balanced
- Appropriate delegation. Is the manager correctly identifying the work that he/she must personally do to add value? Of the work that is delegated, is it appropriately sized for the team member that is to do the work?
It is a given that these are not entirely precise measurements: the team could be dysfunctional for reasons other than their manager, for instance; or projects could be off-budget because of factors beyond their control. But, in general, these are useful factors to consider when measuring manager effectiveness, which must be monitored by the manager’s manager. At the same time, it is important to ensure that the people with the appropriate capability for leading be positioned in managerial roles; that goes a long way in boosting effectiveness, efficiency, and the quality of work done by the entire team.
