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Monkey Management

· 6 min read

“Let me take a look at that and get back to you”- this single sentence can ruin a manager’s life. How? After saying this sentence, other’s monkey(task) is now assigned to your shoulder and from now on it's your responsibility. Already lot’s of on your plate and taking other’s monkey on your shoulder will become a burden. So how can we smartly handle this situation?

Monkey management is to help your staff manage their own monkeys by not actually taking them on yourself. Metaphorically, The ‘monkey’ refers to the next stage in any given task or problem. The article “Who’s Got the Monkey?” by William Oncken Jr and Donald L. Wass (Harvard Business Review, 1974) describes a scenario where a manager takes on the unsolved problems of employees, allowing them to delegate upwards and facilitating the “monkey” to jump on to his back. This results in an increased workload for the manager and a failure to develop the potential of his staff.

Why do I need Monkey Management?

Monkey management is a strategy for efficiency which has few important benefits. Firstly, time management and secondly, creating independently minded staff and managers who are able to deal with problems autonomously. More specifically:

  1. Effective use of manager’s time
  2. Increased employee problem-solving skills
  3. Increased organizational problem-solving capacity
  4. Greater employee job satisfaction

Steps of Monkey Management

Step 1. Describe the Monkey.​

You must always be sure to describe the appropriate next moves clearly, before you assign the monkey.

Example: When an employee presents you with a problem, clarify what your employee expects. In a highly functional manager-employee relationship, the employee may just want to be heard and feel understood. After some empathetic listening, simply ask the employee “What do you need from me?” can often result in “nothing, I just needed someone to talk to. thanks for listening.” Don’t breed monkeys.

If someone comes to you with a solution, make sure you know what the problem is. If the discussion begins with a solution, ask “What problem are we trying to solve?” identify the monkey.

Decide if the problem should be solved or dismissed. together the manager and the employee decide to work on a solution or not address it. Clearly stating “I agree that is an issue, but because of (.....), it is not a priority at this time,” is better than an ambiguous acknowledgement. Feed or shoot the monkey.

Step 2. Assign the Monkey.​

All monkeys need to be owned and looked after at the lowest level of the organization that is compatible with their welfare. This means that the person who gets the monkey must be able to carry out the next moves without undue risk to themselves, to the organization, or to you (as their supervisor). Getting this right often means finding a sufficiently small and safe next move, to ensure you don’t end up with the monkey!

Example: Clearly communicate that the problem and its solution belongs with the employee. A good starting position is “I could take this problem, but it would be better for you to handle this. let’s look at how.” Don’t take the monkey.

Step 3. Insure the Monkey.​

You are responsible for risk management. So, every monkey you assign to one of your people must have its own insurance policy. This is about the level of authority that you delegate. According to William Oncken Jr, there are two levels:

  1. Recommend, then act
  2. Act, then advise

Here are five degrees of initiative you can delegate:

  1. Wait until told (lowest initiative/risk)
  2. Ask what to do
  3. Recommend, then take resulting action
  4. Act, but advise at once
  5. Act on own, then routinely report (highest initiative/risk)

The higher the risk the lower the premium the manager pays in time. The key point is that the person who has the monkey must know they have it and what they have to do. Monkey’s should be fed by appointment only.

Example: Make sure that you only give enough and a level of authority to the other person that is consistent with the welfare of the monkey. Consequently if the next step is still a high risk then perhaps just give them the authority to think it through and to come up with some ideas that they can bring to you at 3 o'clock this afternoon, If on the other hand the level of risk attached to the monkey is far lower you could assign them full authority to take whatever steps they choose and to report back to you.

Step 4. Check on the Monkey.​

Remember that what your team members do remains your responsibility. So, you need to exercise proper follow-up. Give every monkey a checkup appointment, to ensure it stays healthy.

Example: ​​Schedule the management of the problem. Setting aside a specific time to address the problem, its solution, and progress until completion. Good approach can be- “Is tuesday at 2:00” nice time to sit again?”. “Let's talk later,” is not a good one. As long as the problem remains unsolved, end each scheduled discussion with a clear and scheduled next step. Schedule the next monkey feeding time.

Bonus Tips

You must have to be very careful and very clear about to whom you assign the monkey. Because if there is any lack of clarity, it's like the monkey will have one foot on your shoulder and one foot on theirs; not quite sure who's going to be looking after it and it will be a mess.

Conclusion

Monkey management means you care for and feed the monkeys that belong on your back and you strategically avoid inviting or assuming responsibility for monkeys that belong on the back of someone else. It's not selfish, it's smart.

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