Management Challenges

Managing The Maverick Employee

Understanding The Maverick

He seems to march to his own drum, always slightly out of

step with the rest of the group. He tends to be independent,

and never quite fits in with any one group. The maverick is

usually challenging the way things are done, always looking

for different ways to get things done, though sometimes these

different ways aren't an improvement. Hard to manage, the

maverick seems relatively oblivious to the normal constraints

of organizational control, authority of his boss, or even

rewards.

The maverick has much to contribute to an organization, since

he often serves as the "gadfly" that encourages, or even

pushes others to think differently. Unfortunately, mavericks

can also be seen as pushy, aggressive or even obnoxious,

and in the worst cases, they can provide regular nightmares

for those that must manage them.

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

Organizations need to be able to examine themselves so

that they can change. What worked last year may not

work this year, and research on successful organizations

shows us that they have been able to reinvent themselves

when required. Unfortunately, many organizations,

particularly government ones, tend to get stuck, repeating

the old ways even after they are no longer the best way.

Organizational inertia holds the organization back, or even

threatens its existence.

Mavericks serve to counteract this inertia. They constantly

question, often critically, but good mavericks also offer

solutions and alternatives. Their forceful arguments are hard

to ignore. One of the strongest contributions a maverick can

make is to force those around him to analyze and evaluate

the basic underlying assumptions of the group.

The good part is that the maverick can become the conscience

of the organization, while encouraging creativity, and change.

Provided the maverick works in an environment that values

these contribution, the relationship between the boss and the

maverick can be fruitful, and at least, relatively free of animosity.

Unfortunately, these contributions come with a cost. Because

mavericks tend to be outspoken and overly forthright, they

tend to disrupt teams, particularly in organizations that have

a low tolerance for conflict. They are difficult to manage,

and may even ignore directives from their bosses.

More problematic is the fact that mavericks don't make particularly

good team-players. Their aggressive, blunt communication style

puts people off, and their contributions at group meetings can

be exasperating as they seem to go off on tangents or miss the

point of discussions. They tend to go off on their own,

sometimes ignoring decisions made by the boss or the team.

That's the bad.

The ugly is really ugly. When mavericks are highly skilled

and knowledgeable, they can provide many positive

contributions, and often, mavericks are, in fact, excellent at

what they do. But if they aren't that skilled or knowledgeable,

their contribution will almost always be negative. They will

create a great deal of conflict and frustration without coming

up with anything valuable, or ideas that are useful.

These people are severe performance problems..

.loose cannons.

The second ugly situation occurs when the organization

does not recognize the contributions of the wild maverick.

Over a period of time, the maverick moves from maverick

to scapegoat to rebel to martyr, At each stage the organization

becomes less tolerant of his seemingly uncontrollable

behavior, and the maverick becomes more forceful and

more uncontrollable. Other employees blame "the different

one" for a host of sins, until any contributions the person

can make will be discounted and lost.