Management-by-Walking-Around (MBWA): Engaging Employees through Informal Workplace Interactions

Leaders who spend part of their workday nonchalantly walking through the organization may appear informal in their management approach, but research suggests otherwise. When done effectively, this management practice delivers significant benefits. In today’s demanding workplace, time is a scarce resource, and many managers spend most of their day in offices, disconnected from frontline employees.

In the early 1980s, Tom Peters and Robert Waterman coined the term Management by Walking Around (MBWA) to describe leaders who regularly engage with employees and gain firsthand insight into how work is actually performed. In many organizations, a disconnect exists between management and frontline staff, often leading to distrust, rumors, misinterpretation, and even fear. These issues are frequently driven by inaccurate perceptions on both sides. MBWA helps reduce these misunderstandings by fostering direct communication and visibility.

Before adopting this approach, managers should follow several important principles to ensure success:

Frequency: Be visible daily, not just occasionally. Regular presence builds familiarity and trust.

Spontaneity: Avoid rigid routines. Unpredictable, informal visits feel more natural and less intimidating, preventing employees from associating a manager’s presence with problems or oversight.

Authenticity: Interactions must be genuine. Show curiosity by asking how employees are doing, what challenges they face, and how management can help. Take time to understand workflows, collaboration, and obstacles. This demonstrates respect and builds trust.

Active Listening: managers should focus on employees' words, capturing insights, showing respect, and asking follow-up questions to ensure they understand the issue.

Observation Skills: observation helps identify patterns and issues not verbally expressed, improving problem detection, such as body language, gestures, and blame attribution.

Effective Communication: effective communication involves asking meaningful questions, providing feedback, using silence and eye contact effectively.

MBWA is most effective when managers actively listen, observe carefully, offer recognition, and ask thoughtful questions. This approach provides a comprehensive, real-world view of the organization—revealing how work gets done, how teams interact, who informal leaders are, and where further training may be needed. Practiced consistently, it can even reduce turnover by identifying early signs of disengagement and addressing concerns proactively.

Over time, employees begin to value these interactions. They may use this one-to-one opportunity to ask questions, share ideas, or raise concerns. For observant managers, these conversations highlight what is working well and what is not, including inefficiencies, safety risks, interpersonal conflicts, and unnecessary tasks. This concept was popularized by the American TV reality show, Undercover Boss. A show where a senior company leader or CEO joined the company anonymously to better understand how the company operates by interaction with employees. Each episode revealed that most leaders had lost touch with employees and did not know who the champions, and informal leaders were in the organization.

It is important, however, to respect boundaries. Managers should not pry into employees’ personal lives unless invited. If an employee shares personal information, such as a sick child at home, a simple follow-up during a later interaction shows care and attentiveness – is your child feeling better? At the same time, managers should avoid direct criticism in public settings. Instead, they should work through department heads to address issues, preserving leadership structure and authority. Praise, however, is best offered in a public setting.

Informal, non-work conversations can also be a valuable part of MBWA. Joining employees during breaks or casual settings, whether discussing sports, weather, or everyday topics—helps humanize the manager and strengthens relationships. Sharing appropriate aspects of one’s own life can further build rapport, including the practice of servant leadership.

Additional opportunities for engagement arise in shared spaces such as breakrooms or dining areas. Thoughtful General Managers may occasionally join different teams for lunch, focusing on informal conversation rather than work. These moments often reveal insights that would not surface in formal meetings and help managers better understand employees.

Additionally, frontline employees frequently have practical solutions to operational challenges but are rarely asked for input. MBWA creates a platform for these ideas to emerge. Managers should recognize and reward such contributions, whether through praise, financial reward, development opportunities, or career advancement.

We observe from the narrative that it should be considered normal to see the hotel General Manager speaking with the receiving manager on the loading dock, enquiring with a front desk supervisor about her sons game, entering the kitchen to get a recipe from the executive chef, asking the sommelier for advice about a vintage for a family gathering, visiting the engineering department just to see say hello, and then being present in the lobby to greet guests. As such, employees are not surprised to see the General Manager anywhere on the property and offer genuine interaction.

Key takeaway

Managers who practice MBWA build strong connections with their staff, leading to increased engagement, reduced turnover, and greater trust and respect among both manager–employee and peer relationships. This approach encourages informal interactions between employees and management, allowing issues to be identified and addressed early, before they escalate.

While managers should not view themselves as friends to employees, they can position themselves as advocates. MBWA does not replace formal management structures; rather, it complements them by fostering better communication and collaboration. The result is a smoother, more effective hotel operation, where engaged employees deliver higher-quality service—and customers notice the difference.