The concept of "Management by Walking Around" goes back to the early 1980s and a book called "In Search of Excellence". In the days when a manager actually managed staff, instead of being their surrogate mommy or daddy during the work day, this book and the principles in it were the standard for up and coming managers. Even though I was non-management, I was strongly encouraged to read the book regardless.
I, at the time of publication, was a huge fan of that book. And then as time went by, I started noticing how many of those companies mentioned began fading or in some cases bankrupting away.