Gregg, the director of a division I was consulting to, told me proudly, "I have an open door policy. My staff can come and talk to me any time."

When those in the upper reaches of an organization are accessible to employees, the entire organization benefits from a culture of trust, open communication, and respect. But in my work with organizations, I have often encountered open door policies that miss the point. For example:

• Some managers claim to have an open door policy, but they're never there when employees come a-calling. There's always another meeting, another appointment, another problem that seems to have a higher priority.
• Some managers are available to employees, but their simultaneous availability to their phone, email, and a steady stream of people stopping by with "just a quick question" suggests that the door is a little too open.
• Some managers are available to employees, but then arbitrarily dismiss whatever the employee came to discuss. Or so it seems to employees who hear nothing further about the issue they raised.
• Some managers, in hopes of cultivating a staff of problem-solvers, command that their employees "be prepared with a recommended solution when you come to see me about a problem." Unfortunately, these good intentions sometimes discourage employees from seeking help with pressing problems that they don't know how to solve.

And then there was Gregg's situation. Gregg had been charged with converting his division into a profit center which would proactively seek projects from client departments and sell the value of the group's services, rather than addressing only the projects that clients requested. Gregg's staff, a very bright bunch, were troubled about some of Gregg's ideas for implementing this change. Fortunately, Gregg's door was open.

But, like many open door policies, Gregg's was flawed because it was a passive approach to hearing what was on people's minds. Granted, many of Gregg's staff weren't reluctant to speak their minds. But for others in the group, having ideas and communicating them to management were two different things. For these employees, the very notion of proactively approaching their higher-ups, especially to voice concerns and grievances, is a gulp-inducing experience.

Unfortunately, it's sometimes the people who are most hesitant to present their ideas who have the ideas most worth hearing, and that was the case in Gregg's division. After one of my visits, one of his staff members sent me a lengthy email message in which she detailed her ideas for how the transition to the new profit model could take place. Her ideas were intelligent, organized and on target. "But," she wrote in her message," I haven't presented these ideas to Gregg for the simple reason that he has never asked."

What accounted for her reluctance, I don't know. Clearly, she should have taken the initiative. But that's just the point. She didn't, and she wouldn't. And she is just one of many people I've encountered in client organizations who refrain from approaching management because, for one reason or another, they are not comfortable in doing so.

Rather than merely claiming to have an open door policy, managers who truly want to hear from their employees should consider more proactive measures, such as establishing fixed office hours they will reserve for employees, scheduling one-on-ones with employees, and following up on issues raised. They should occasionally exit their office and go out to employees to see what's on their minds. And they should ensure that time spent with employees is dedicated to those employees and is interruption-free. As in, turn off the phone — and shut the door!

About the Author
Naomi Karten has always been fascinated by human behavior. Her background includes a B.A. and M.A. in psychology and extensive corporate experience in technical, customer support and management positions.

Since forming her own business in 1984, she has presented seminars and keynotes to more than 100,000 people internationally. Her services, books and newsletters have helped organizations and groups

• Manage customer expectations,
• Enhance their communications and consulting skills,
• Provide superior customer service, and
• Establish successful service level agreements.
• She is the author of several books including.

Communication Gaps and How to Close Them, which provides strategies and guidelines for improved communication in such contexts as building strong relationships, delivering superior service, fostering effective teamwork, and managing change

Managing Expectations: Working With People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, NOW!, which offers a serious, lighthearted look (yes, both!) at policies and practices for successfully managing expectations in the workplace

How to Establish Service Level Agreements, a handbook based on more than a decade of experience providing SLA consulting and seminars internationally and which is designed to help you avoid the flaws and failures she encounters so often

© 2005 Naomi Karten Associates, www.nkarten.com