Monkey on Desk Framework

A management framework from Harvard Business Review about preventing employees from delegating their problems up to managers, known as the "Monkey on the Desk" concept.

Core Concept

• Problems are like "monkeys" that employees try to transfer to their manager's desk
• Managers end up accumulating others' problems instead of empowering employees to solve them
• Goal is to keep the "monkey" (problem ownership) with the employee while providing support

Common Mistake Pattern

• Employee comes with problem seeking guidance
• Manager says "let me think about it" or "send me the materials"
• Problem ownership transfers to manager
• Process repeats with multiple employees
• Manager ends up with 20+ "monkeys" (problems) by month end

Solution Framework

• Clear ownership establishment

  • Explicitly state the employee owns the problem
  • Manager provides support but doesn't take ownership
  • Employee responsible for execution and final decisions

• Structured Problem-Solving Time

  • Schedule specific times to discuss problems
  • No random drop-ins except for emergencies
  • Prevents hijacking manager's time
  • Forces employees to batch non-urgent issues

Benefits

• Filters out non-capable employees within first month
• Reveals highly capable employees who can handle problems
• Reduces manager workload
• Creates more competent, autonomous team

Implementation Tips

• Give feedback once on handling similar problems
• If they don't improve after feedback, likely not the right fit
• Trust employees with problem-solving
• Accept some short-term pain for long-term capability building