Management By Numbers: Be Very Afraid

I just read a frightening article in the latest Business Week (an excerpt from an upcoming book, The Numerati, by Stephen Baker). It seems to be the antithesis of everything I've been working on with the Creating WE Institute regarding workforce engagement and innovation.

Apparently, IBM is spearheading a movement to "automate" management, with the idea of measuring every move employees make in order to gain criteria for staffing decisions. It's touted as a means toward greater productivity, and I imagine some may view it as a silver bullet for solving staffing complexities.

This is a bit too Big Brother-ish for my tastes, and promotes the concept of "people as numbers." Commoditizing the workforce may gain some gain "efficiencies," but that's not the same as true, lasting productivity. Not only does it foster an environment based on fear, it seems a giant step back to the industrial age.

The scariest part is that if they do tout "productivity" gains, others will follow suit.

Even the author of the book seemed taken aback by the idea. Aside from that, the book looks interesting. Here's the article.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_36/b4098032904806.htm