Management by Magic Bullet

My new management theory that explains Kenyan companies and governments. Also published by the Business Daily on February 11 2014 at http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Opinion-and-Analysis/Management-by-magic-bullet/-/539548/2200640/-/h9xsfe/-/index.html

If you’ve ever closely observed the back of my head, you will have noticed that I have quite a few bumps and scars there. While one particularly memorable one is from a mishap when I was eight years old, the rest are from when an enterprising Kenyan tried to put a panga through my head (he was only moderately successful – he managed to steal KSh 134 and a pair of shoes). I do not mean to entertain you with morbid descriptions of the contours of my cranium, but I needed to establish my bona fides when it comes to a particular sympathy to any efforts that will bring down the ridiculous levels of crime in Nairobi and the rest of the country.

So the tweet last Friday from Internal Security Cabinet Secretary Joseph ole Lenku was one right up my alley. ‘The rapid results initiative (RRI) launched by @UKenyatta will ensure that all your tweets, calls & reports are responded to immediately’, he said. And that wasn’t all. The PS in his ministry, Mutea Iringo, was also busy on Twitter: ‘GoK aims to increase the Security of its Citizens by 80% in 100 days’. It was all quite muscularly impressive, if taken at its word. Besieged citizens have asked for help, and all the major players are now publicly making declarations of action. Even more impressively, numbers and percentages are now being bandied around, which add to the impression of frenetic, kinetic energy.

I am not one to rain on anyone’s parade, let alone on one which will ostensibly guarantee the safety of my precious head, but let’s admit it – haven’t we seen this particular one before? Haven’t declarations been made by very stern looking people that criminals are now on notice to cease their nefarious activities? Haven’t well-meaning government chiefs, in all seriousness, promised the end of crime waves?

And lest you think my issue is restricted to the security industry and its policymakers, the same sort of earnest declarations have been seen in all sorts of other sectors in Kenya. Last year, after the wave of road crashes that claimed the lives of hundreds and shocked the nation, transport sector head honchos made solemn declarations about bans on night travel (which were later ‘clarified’), revocations of operational licences for entire bus firms, and pledges to re-test drivers  who operate on Kenya’s killer roads. While they may be crowing about success, seeing as the alarming headlines have been reduced, the only way to truly tell whether the declarations were successful in bringing down deaths is ten months from now, when the grim harvest of the roads is announced for 2014.

The most interesting case study in this is the traffic situation in Nairobi. The city is rapidly getting to the stage where it will be at a total and complete standstill. So, again, earnest declarations were made, except this time they actually cost a bundle of money. The word is that the new system of traffic lights in Nairobi cost almost half a billion shillings, complete with timers, cameras to catch miscreants, and a new crop of traffic ‘wardens’.

Look at all these cases, and a pattern becomes clear: a situation that has been allowed to deteriorate to alarming levels; a recognition that ‘something needs to be done’, and bold, intense (and superficially sincere) plans to act. So allow me to be a management guru here and invent a new theory of management. Let’s look for a nice, pithy name for it. Can we agree that, in Kenya, we are fond of Management by Magic Bullet?

Do not for one moment, sitting in your plush corner office in the private sector, think this does not apply to you. I have lost count of the number of companies that have tried to reinvent themselves, or their products, after allowing these to decline to crisis proportions. The most unforgettable of these is a certain brand of detergent, which was refreshed so many times that it became a parody. Last we checked, the detergent was still on the market, but limping along after having been battered by more nimble, focused competitors.

The flaw in Management by Magic Bullet is an easy one to spot, though it is not as simple to resolve. Most of the problems here did not suddenly erupt. Kenya did not wake up to a crime wave, or Nairobi to standstill traffic. There was a time when road accidents were at manageable levels, and many companies were doing right by their customers and shareholders, and at the same time making a tidy profit. The problem is that each of these was allowed to atrophy bit-by-bit, to a point of near-no return.

Keeping crime down, keeping traffic flowing, and keeping companies and products at the top of the pile takes conscious, constant effort, and it is the little things (not the big declarations) that count. It means making sure that the important stuff is done, but done every single day (including weekends and holidays). It involves recognising, and nipping, potential problems in the bud. This, however, is boring, expensive and tedious, and doesn’t lend itself to grand sweeping gestures under the klieg lights by corporate and government leaders.

So, sadly, expect more action. And talk. And Management by Magic Bullet.