Management by Walking around (MBWA)

MBWA is a tool that managers, engineers and also executives should use to keep in touch with what is going on outside their office. Leave your office (your "secure zone") and spend time with associates in the office or on the shopfloor. You will be amazed how much you will learn first hand. I have been tempted in the past to "run" my responsibilities from my office and by email.

In general I would say, that there is not enough MBWA. Some of my clients have the management office far away from the shop floor. The first time I heard the term MBWA was around 1986. The managing director of the research centre I was working for back then used the term and was an active believer in it (thank you, Ian).