Good Managers Get the Rainbow

Article by Mary Kovach, Ph.D.

In business, we characterize conformity as the situation when everyone is polite and agrees. The label “deviance” is applied to situations when rules or opinions are challenged.When too much conformity exists in an organization, employees seek to satisfy. They don’t challenge the norm, push to innovate, or question decisions. When deviance dominates the culture, employee morale drops. Professionalism and respect disappear, and trust is lost. The work environment becomes unpleasant, and stress and anxiety become prevalent. To a good manager, you need to understand the value of the rainbow.

Imagine a picturesque rainbow, its colors vibrant across the sky. It begins where the skyline ends and arcs to disappear near the other side of the horizon. Now visualize the shape of that rainbow as a graph. Imagine that its height (Y-axis) is a measure of productivity. The peak of the rainbow’s arc demonstrates high productivity, and the bottom points of the rainbow represent low productivity.

Next, envision where the two points of the rainbow meet the horizon (X-axis). Label the first point conformity, and the second, deviance. The distance between two points is a scale that assesses the degree of agreement within a group in a given scenario. 

If you stand right in the middle of this vibrant rainbow-graph and look up, you’ll see the peak. In this metaphor, the peak is the location of optimum productivity. As a manager, when you can create a healthy balance between conformity and deviance on your team, you hit the jackpot; you’ve found a pot of gold.

Good managers trust their employees. They hire quality candidates, set realistic expectations upfront, then encourage and allow their employees to showcase their talents. They ask for feedback by setting aside time after a project to understand (from an employee perspective) what went well and what can be improved upon in the future. They don’t judge feedback; they appreciate it.

Managers should expect quality and integrity while grooming their employees to partake in the decision-making process. They provide guidance and immediate constructive feedback throughout the process in a supportive manner, with encouragement. The swifter a manager can transfer the bulk of the decision-making process to the employee (i.e. doing the due diligence), the more time they will have to focus on strategy and other initiatives in the future—thus, increasing productivity.

When you want to have more time to focus on your organization, when you want your projects to turn out better than you expected, and when you want your employees to feel valued and enjoy their workplace environment and capitalize on their skills and experience, then understand the value of standing in the middle of the rainbow. Don’t accept environment where everyone agrees with you. Encourage your employees to respectfully and professionally present other alternatives and to critique your solutions. You hired talented people to contribute to your organization, so respect and allow their opinion.

To control difficulty in any situation, appoint someone to play the devil’s advocate role. This technique lets everyone in the room understand that you want to create a flawless product, and this is a man of seeking constructive feedback.

You don’t have to take action on every piece of advice, but as a good manager, you do have to create an environment where feedback is encouraged and where employees want to showcase their strengths because you collectively want to deliver a better product to the marketplace. When you do this, you will enjoy the beauty of the rainbow with optimum employee productivity.

Mary Kovach, Ph.D., an associate professor at Miami University teaches business management courses. Find management-related videos on her YouTube channel Dr. K—The Management Professor.