Why Employees Don't Do What They're Supposed To Do and What You Can Do About It

In the last issue of the B&G Report there was a recommendation for a little book, about 100 pages long, called Why Employees Don't Do What They're Supposed To Do and What You Can Do About It by Ferdinand F. Fournies, written 20 years ago. I found it at a local library. It is an amazingly simple approach to performance based-management. No frills. His research over the years developed a list of universal performance problems and he recommends a few solutions for each. Here are his reasons “Why Employees Don't Do What They're Supposed To Do.”

They don't know why they should do it.
They don't know how to do it.
They don't know what they are supposed to do.
They think your way will not work.
They think their way is better.
They think something else is more important.
There is no positive consequence to them for doing it.

They think they are doing it.
They are rewarded for not doing it.

They are punished for doing what they are supposed to do.
They anticipate a negative consequence for doing it.

There is no negative consequence to them for poor performance.

Obstacles beyond their control
Their personal limits prevent them from performing.

Personal problems
No one could do it.

I have tried to think of an example that could not be accounted for by one of those explanations and have not thought of one. Can you?

His solutions are equally comprehensive and brief but could provide a lifetime of solutions for managers.

This is a book I now want to buy, reread, highlight, outline and work on. There are lots of good books on management philosophies and gimmicks. They come and go. This could stand with “The Prince” and “The Art of War” in timelessness.

It is comprehensive, brief and practical. What more could a manager ask for?