How are front line managers important to Barnes & Noble’s shift in strategy?
James Daunt, CEO of Barnes & Noble, implemented a localizing strategy that was successful for British bookseller, Waterstones. Localizing meant giving front line managers, those who work in the actual bookstores, the power to decide what books to order to cater to local customer preferences. That might mean that one store has a much bigger romance section that is featured in the front of the store while another has dozens of shelves featuring manga, illustrated books originating in Japan.
What types of skills, technical, conceptual, or human, are most important for front line managers to be successful in implementing the new strategy?
They are all important to some degree. Front line managers need technical skills to be able to communicate to upper levels of management and to use internal systems to understand their inventory. They need conceptual skills to make predictions about what customers will want and how to creatively run promotions. They also need human skills to lead their team of employees.