Open Door Policy - Beyond the Lip Service

“I operate an open door policy,” declared the new manager, as he eagerly announced to his new team after being introduced by his immediate superior following his appointment as the new director of logistics. It was just a matter of time that his commitment to open and transparent communication would be challenged by circumstances at the work place. The refrain, “open door policy” has become one of the age old business adage which seeks to communicate management's willingness to accommodate all shades of opinions and feedback relating to business operations or any extra-mural matter that may have business impact.

The challenge of strategy execution, is that most strategic plans excludes from the formulation process, the input of those who would implement the plans. Consequently, assumptions that are made about markets, consumer behavior, competitive response and many important issues, may be inaccurate, leading to missed targets and eventually, low returns on capital employed. Failure is almost certain when a company lacks a systematic mechanism for obtaining feedback from stakeholders of the business.