Yes, there really is a management style called Management by Wandering Around (MBWA). MBWA is characterized by managers spending much of their time in face-to-face interactions with employees building cooperative relationships.
MBWA is a style of management where managers meet with project staff in unannounced, unplanned, and unstructured face-to-face meetings. These meetings could occur in the hall, in the break room, or at someone’s desk or office.
The manager does not even have to talk about the project and the conversations do not need to be long. It is an opportunity for the manager and staff to get to know and become comfortable with each other. Talk about the ball game or what is happening this weekend.
Eventually the conversation may come around to the project and the project manager may learn things that would not have become known otherwise.
Be careful however, some project staff may feel that the project manager is “checking up” on them, leading to a whole new set of circumstances that will need to be dealt with.
Does this style work for everyone? Probably not.
Will MBWA be effective in every organization? Again, probably not.
Your job as project manager is to find a way to engage with your project staff without appearing overbearing or menacing.