Do you manage like Microsoft?

When Microsoft, the company know for its ferocious attitude when protecting its own turf and simultaneously stomping on everyone else’s, released Kinect it unleashed a frenzy of innovative development among the great unwashed, AKA the open source community.

Rather than embracing their out-of-the-box thinking Microsoft started stomping, but when the rabble attacked, Microsoft backed down—part way.

In statements, Microsoft said it “does not condone the modification of its products” and vowed to work with law enforcement “to keep Kinect tamper-resistant.” After geek outrage spilled onto the Web, Microsoft spent the next day clarifying its position. It stressed that it objected to miscreants who might, say, use Kinect’s camera to peer into living rooms. It would not, however, sue well-intentioned tinkerers. After that peace gesture, Microsoft stopped discussing Open Kinect publicly.

Do you (or your manager) act like this?

Do you freak out when faced with innovation outside of the expected and difficult to control?

Do you threaten the instigators and/or your team to bring them back in line with your narrow vision?

Or do you cheer them on, embracing ideas that didn’t originate with you and weren’t planned, but open up new paths and even new worlds to conquer?

The world has changed and you need to change with it. Years ago someone said that Microsoft shouldn’t try and act like a scrappy startup when it was a 500 pound canary, but now that canary is merely obese.

Doctors faced the same dilemma, going from a world where their word was law to one in which patients research and demand a say in their treatment—and vote with their feet if they don’t get it.

And before you see this as an age-related problem look around. It’s not hard to find Microsoft-styled managers and doctors of all ages.

The Microsoft vs. open source is a good analogy for two different types of management MAP and you need to choose which you want to be.

Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/eamon33/1528968969/

This entry was posted on Friday, January 21st, 2011 at 1:15 am and is filed under Business info, Personal Growth. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Tags: age, control, manage, management approach
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