Relatively Speaking

An essay on the relationship between the administrative, professional and managerial sector.

Us and them. The phrase immediately conjures a scenario involving rival factions; opponents to be encountered, resulting in a win-lose situation. In an office environment, it is the posture most often taken between the professional, managerial and administrative staff. More often than not, management acts as an arbitrator. As is often the case, management generally supports the professional staff.

It is like a family tree. Executive and Administrative Management are like the parents, each a set on their own. The professionals get preferential treatment as the sons and daughters of the executive management branch while being scrutinized by their aunts and uncles, the administrative management branch. The admin staff are supported by their parents, the admin management branch while being tolerated by their aunts and uncles, the executive management branch.

Even more appropriate is the atom theory, scientifically speaking. The atom, made up of protons and neutrons, is orbited by 3 electrons in an elliptical manner. The complete atom represents the organization as a whole. Each electron denotes a sector – administrative, managerial and professional. All three sectors are equally important and needed to keep the organization intact, just as all three electrons are needed to keep the atom stable. Remove one and the whole becomes unstable, causing a chain reaction, resulting in a volatile situation. Increasing or decreasing the importance (charge) of any one sector (electron) disrupts the flow (electromagnetic field) of the organization (atom).

The orbits of the electrons correlate to each sector in that they each travel the same distance. Speed and direction will vary slightly, but all in all, each orbit maintains its own path separate from the others. They do cross paths in their daily routines but unless they follow the same path, side-by-side, each will never know what the other electrons encounter, let alone their purpose. Are each of us aware of the responsibilities and pressures involved with those in the other sectors?

respect & dignity

The value of one’s position within the firm is one cause for concern. Monetary compensation is an issue only between management and the professional. Admin are considered overhead and pay is determined by a scale of minimum and maximum based on experience. (Who determined the market rate for establishing the scale, in the first place?)

The professional staff are under the impression they support the firm and that, if it were not for their presence, the admin would be out of work. This is a classic power play and the main reason admin dislike the professional. Is it any wonder admin never go above and beyond the call of duty, performing overtime or working outside of their job’s parameters? They are not offered any kind of incentive that the professional most often receives, except overtime, which is a given. Since the work of the admin is the same on a daily basis, it is expected of them the work be correct and in a timely fashion. When this happens, compliments are forthcoming, but there are no bonuses, awards, or the like, as the professional receives, except at the end of the year in the form of a raise. The professional, on the hand, works independently, or on teams, and has projects to complete or clients to solicit or satisfy, making their routines vary. They are continually given bonuses and promoted. This creates disenchantment between admin and the firm as a whole, and not just with the professional.

On the other hand, the admin maintain that, if it were not for their presence, mail, filing, phone messages, fax, copying, courier and hospitality (kitchens and conference rooms) services would not be completed, thereby preventing any production from entering or leaving the firm, or from being found. Issues raised by the professional in response to admin performance does merit consideration, though. By performing the same routine daily, it is not uncommon for admin to falter in one’s duties. Unfortunately, it is usually at the expense of the professional. The issue, though, is how the professional responds, which we’ll cover later.

Another cause for concern is more prevalent in society as a whole. Most are aware of it, but think nothing of it and choose not to acknowledge it; yet it exists, nonetheless. They are based on race and class distinctions.

Granted, we have come a long way as far as equality goes, the corporate sector still remains a stronghold in the old style. Although it is changing now for the better, professionals have always been college-educated, white males. The majority of the admin pool consisted of women and minorities, and most with no more than a high school education, with some possessing minimal college experience. The educated professional staff feel superior to admin because they’ve gone the extra years of schooling and feel they deserve to be where they’re at. Often they feel they deserve the respect of admin without having to earn it. Admin, in return, resent the superior attitude.

On the other hand, admin work does not require a college education. Admin with college degrees are passed-over for employment consideration with the claim of over-qualification. For the most part admin positions are chosen for their security. As long as the job is performed satisfactorily, and barring any economic downturns, admin will always have a job. Although encouraged to solidify and raise the value of the position, admin are not required to continue further education because their position’s parameters expand minimally, if at all.

Unfortunately, when a downsizing occurs, the administrative sector is the first area streamlined. It puts undue stress and extra work on the remaining individuals. This is why, for the admin, cross-training is vital. It not only expands the scope of experience for the individual, but also raises their level of self-esteem in relation to their value as an asset to the organization.

All sectors have difficulty accepting advice, criticism, ideas or suggestions. The professional cannot accept this from admin because “they do not know anything about the business we practice”. Admin cannot accept any because they feel they are being talked down to (and in many cases with professionals, they are). And, unless it is being presented correctly and diplomatically (carefully), you can forget about offering any to management.

So, it appears both sides have legitimate and justifiable grievances. But are they dealt with in a mature, professional and fair manner? Not all professionals and admin act so irresponsibly and unprofessionally. But when it does occur, the morale and productivity of the staff in the immediate vicinity are adversely affected, with the outcome rippling through the office akin to a pebble on a pond. The professional needs to be aware of the daily grind admin must endure. The admin, in turn, needs to be aware of the constant pressure to perform the professional goes through. There is a standard everyone follows at the center of this “catch 22” that if everyone would adhere to and honor, we would all have more enthusiasm, motivation and pride in our work. The standard to which I refer is “procedures”.

standard operating procedure

Procedures are, by far, the leading cause of disagreements between all of the sectors. Since the professionals believe they support the firm, procedures are considered trivial and time-consuming, serving to distract their business-at-hand, and subsequently leaving it to their assistants. Also, because the professionals consider their business their livelihood with their paycheck depending on it, they expect a certain amount of flexibility, and exceptions to be made. This is an example of the “above the law” theory. When certain higher-producing individuals are extended flexibility by management, when others would not have been, it only distances admin, and, in some cases, professionals, as well. While certain situations requiring flexibility are expected, it should not be extended in every case.

There is a difference between “flexibility” and “exception-to-the-rule”. If a professional forgot or neglected to perform a task or submit a form and then tries to do so past a deadline, they are circumventing the established procedure, which has been set in place for a reason. They, also, may have a reason for being late. Each case is different. If it is not a habit of theirs, their request should be granted. This is the “exception-to-the-rule”. But if they do have habit of being late, their request is denied, and a claim of inflexibility is made. On the contrary, it is enforcement of procedure in the face of abuse and not a matter of flexibility. The professional needs to be aware that flexibility has its limits. Of course, it is also not uncommon for admin to deny requests regardless of the circumstances of the professional, even if they don’t have a history of it. Government agencies are infamous for this.

Admin do not appreciate having to finish incomplete work on a regular basis, but do not help matters when they reject work that has only minor items out of place. While rejecting submissions that do not meet criteria may be a good way of teaching someone a proper procedure, it only perpetuates the ill will between the two and delays the work from being processed. By correcting the error or omission the first and/or second time, then informing the professional of what was done and to be conscious of it in the future, the professional will be appreciative and hopefully adhere to procedures in the future. Unfortunately for the professional, many admin are not so generous, which explains the professional’s stance.

Procedures are created to streamline production smoothly and efficiently, insuring a steady flow of business. They are:

· set by management,
· adhered to by professionals,
(and, in cases of firm-wide policies, admin, as well)
· enforced by admin (and management, where necessary),

to comply with all necessary rules, regulations and laws as dictated for that industry, and business in general.

Procedures are not regulations, but guidelines. Exceptions occur on a regular basis. This is how and why procedures are constantly updated. But, for the most part, they are there for a reason, that being smooth and efficient operations, whereby everyone benefits.

arbitration & settlement

Then there’s the management sector and their involvement in the constant psychological battles of wit and power plays that take place during the day-to-day operations. This sector is somewhat removed from the daily aspects of the professional/administrative network relationship, yet maintain a vital function in the corporate process. It is their arbitration and decision-making skills that come in to play when incidents occur spontaneously.

As mentioned earlier, there are two types of management: executive and administrative. Both have the necessary experience, but when situations occur between the professional and the admin requiring the intervention of management, more often than not, the following occurs.

For all intent and purposes, hypothetically speaking, we will assume both parties are in the right. After an incident occurs, the professional usually takes matters into his own hands. The admin will instinctively, rebut or retaliate, as he believes he is right, too. This puts the professional off guard for reasons I will explain shortly, and proceeds to inform management while the admin does not. The executive manager meets with the admin manager to pass on what transpired according to the professional. The admin manager then approaches the admin to hear his version.

By virtue of this sequence of events, it’s already over for the admin. He now has to defend himself. As always, there are two versions. And, as always, it is the admin who is perceived as exaggerating or not-telling-the-truth to keep from getting in trouble, even though the possibility exists the professional has done the same thing. Opinions always end up adding insult to injury. Opinions are used to reinforce the facts. Often the two become so intertwined, it is difficult to ascertain what is fact and what is fiction. Hopefully, management is cognizant enough to know when opinions are expressed, and to interrupt when it occurs and to strike them from the conversation.

What happens next is the reason the vicious cycle exists in the first place and recurs over and over. It is the “schoolyard” dilemma; the bully/victim syndrome. It is, also, occasionally management’s responsibility for unknowingly perpetuating it. After the admin has defended himself, he is then reprimanded. Not for what happened, but for taking matters into his own hands instead of coming to management. This is something that one sector is required to do but the other is not. Professionals are not required to go to management in case of disagreement because executive management fails to inform them of this. Admin is instructed if anything happens resulting in a communication breakdown, they are to not handle it themselves, but to go to management.

The professional knows this. Even though the professional is subject to the same instruction, or should be, they choose to handle it themselves anyway, becoming the bully. If the admin does not talk back, and goes to management, the professional will only receive a slap on the wrist. And it takes more than one infraction for something to be done in the first place. The admin becomes a victim, just like in the schoolyard, for following procedure, resulting in continued bullying as long as the victim continues to retreat. It should be noted there are cases where the roles are reversed, but they are rare, at best.

There are two possible courses of action to rectify the situation. One is neutralization; the other, retaliation. Neutralization should always be attempted first, with retaliation only if satisfaction has not occurred. To neutralize the professional when confronted, simply state it will be taken care of, whatever needs to be taken care of. If the professional persists, he should be informed that if there is a problem, it should be brought up with his superior. There is no need for the admin to inform his manager as there was no confrontation and that the error or mistake is being taken care of. If the professional has moved on to unreasonable, the admin has the right to defend himself. This is where the professional is caught off guard as mentioned earlier, and will proceed directly to his, or worse, the admin’s manager, regardless of how out-of-line that action is.

The admin should immediately call his manager and explain everything in as much detail as possible, what response was given, without opinion. This way, the admin manager will have heard the admin’s version before the professional’s version, or the executive manager’s version, as related to by the professional. Remember: every time a story is told verbally, changes are made, things are added or left out, sometimes inadvertently, sometimes deliberately. With the advent of email, having a written record helps. This is the only way admin have any chance of surviving against these actions by professionals.

I used to have continuous lighthearted disagreements with one particular professional who maintained he paid my salary. I agreed, but only in theory. Yes, he may bring in the assets, but those assets are distributed to various resources, including my, and his, salary. I used my responsibility in Purchasing as leverage to explain that while he made the company money, I saved the company money. If all the company did was spend extravagantly, neither of us would make any money.

It wasn’t until a month after badgering back and forth, albeit humorously, as he was just trying to get under my skin, did I realize that this wasn’t the case at all. He wasn’t making the company money; he was making it possible for the company to make money. Our salaries were actually paid by the customers and clients! After mentioning this to him the next time, he never brought it up again. Harmless fun, to say the least, but this is the type of psychological warfare that goes on in Corporate America. Fortunately for me, this individual and myself had a mutual respect for each other and the work performed. And it was never brought up to management. If it had been, we would have both been faulted for indulging in such childish power plays.

victory at last

All in all, these are generalizations based on common occurrences, with varying circumstances, differing in severity. Managers bicker between themselves, as do admin and professionals. But it is still prevalent in our society today and is not likely to change anytime soon. Not as long as individuals continue to come up with new and creative ways to perpetuate these dilemmas, circumvent procedures, not accept responsibility for their actions and pass the buck.

It is important to understand that each sector cannot survive without the other. How would the professionals and admin perform without some form of leadership to guide and teach them? How would management and admin survive without the professionals obtaining sales and service to support the firm’s bottom line? How would management and the professionals maintain those sales and service without admin controlling and processing the ebb and flow of office support?

Teamwork. However cliché, it is the only way to survive and maintain any sense of order in the organizational structure. In order to prosper, discrepancies must be resolved immediately, efficiently and professionally.

. Each sector must respect and honor the work performed by their associates as a professional courtesy. Taking the time to follow procedures, correcting minor flaws without rejection, and resolving conflicts with discussion and diplomacy would strike a major blow in eradicating the messy politics that eat away at the very foundation of our organizational structure. If we all considered ourselves professionals in every sense of the word, no matter what work we perform, we would all receive the mutual respect we so richly deserve, with dignity intact. Then, and only then, will we be able to get down to the business at hand.