Employees key in on the negative as well as the positive things they do. Bosses set the tone and pace of the workplace. If the boss uses fear to suppress creative behavior it may be years before an idea surfaces again in their organization. On the other hand, bosses who encourage their employees to think and be creative are surprised at the results. Although implementing quality improvement methods is in the interest of all employees, the fear that permeates governmental organi- zations and the lack of power employees have makes it a mean trick to say that the quality revolution will start within the ranks of front line workers and their unions.
Managers have hundreds of ways to block union efforts to improve the quality of work.
It is a mistake to think that an organization can transform itself without employees and their leaders working together. Only by working together can quality improve- ment methods become a way of doing business in government. What cowboy management does is disregard the importance of the group, input from front line workers, the need to have mutual respect and trust between managers and workers, teamwork, facilitating open communications, and acceptance of women and minori- ties in the workplace. Cowboy management should be as out of date in the workplace as a cowboy in Manhattan. This nation was built on teamwork, not individu- al, independent effort.