This Anti Pattern attracts controversy. It presents itself during analysis of business architecture, particularly organisational design and efficiency.
Anti Pattern Name: Headcount Justifying the Manager.
Type: Managerial, Organisational.
Problem: Organisational Structure may have changed and departmental headcount reduced, yet managerial roles have not been re-factored or re-assigned. Another manifestation is the creation or parallel evolution of similar functions. The former is typically because of a Status Quo Bias ‘perpetuating’ management structures which are no longer required or efficient. The latter is commonly due to poor governance and mergers.
Context: Business Architecture, Operating Model Design
Forces: Status Quo Bias (a major culprit), ‘conflict’ avoidance, failure to recognise inefficiencies, unwillingness to merge teams and to slim down management structures, failure to recognise significant commonality in business functions.
Resulting Context: Overly complex management structures, inefficiency, under-utilised managers, risking additional Managerial Anti Patterns such as micromanagement.
Solution(s): Merging functions and redeployment, reducing organisational complexity, particularly where there are duplicate or near-duplicate functions. Setting performance based management targets to arrest any ‘pastoral care only’ management behaviours.
