When managers 'walk around,' employee voice may shrink, paper warns

A new paper by two Idaho State University professors says a popular management technique may cause more harm than good. Published in the American Journal of Management, the study by Tyler Burch, professor of management, and Alex Bolinger, Idaho Central Credit Union endowed professor of management, analyzed the practice of management by walking—or wandering—around (MBWA). The technique originated with Hewlett-Packard in the 1980s. At the company, managers would conduct random walk-throughs of the work area, speaking with employees about their goals and how they, as managers, could help employees achieve them.