diff --git a/Gopkg.lock b/Gopkg.lock
index 365a3ddf4..34f8fa114 100644
--- a/Gopkg.lock
+++ b/Gopkg.lock
@@ -1414,13 +1414,14 @@
 
 [[projects]]
   branch = "release-0.2"
-  digest = "1:9f0ef29c01f23bbd2913084e7d9c692115c6c480ef6d1d5807773f077a1c57d3"
+  digest = "1:a8b792e14d6900b58c297ad1d754b8c0d677ba692a04d707594b00bf0cf7a936"
   name = "sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime"
   packages = [
     "pkg/cache",
     "pkg/cache/internal",
     "pkg/client",
     "pkg/client/apiutil",
+    "pkg/client/config",
     "pkg/controller",
     "pkg/controller/controllerutil",
     "pkg/event",
@@ -1575,6 +1576,7 @@
     "k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/util/mount",
     "k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/volume/flexvolume",
     "sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/client",
+    "sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/client/config",
     "sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/controller",
     "sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/controller/controllerutil",
     "sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/event",
diff --git a/pkg/operator/ceph/cr_manager.go b/pkg/operator/ceph/cr_manager.go
index d5397a75c..878ee927c 100644
--- a/pkg/operator/ceph/cr_manager.go
+++ b/pkg/operator/ceph/cr_manager.go
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import (
 	controllers "github.com/rook/rook/pkg/operator/ceph/disruption"
 	"github.com/rook/rook/pkg/operator/ceph/disruption/controllerconfig"
 
+	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/client/config"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/manager"
 )
 
@@ -32,7 +33,12 @@ func (o *Operator) startManager(stopCh <-chan struct{}) {
 	}
 
 	logger.Info("setting up the controller-runtime manager")
-	mgr, err := manager.New(o.context.KubeConfig, mgrOpts)
+	kubeConfig, err := config.GetConfig()
+	if err != nil {
+		logger.Errorf("unable to get client config for controller-runtime manager: %+v", err)
+		return
+	}
+	mgr, err := manager.New(kubeConfig, mgrOpts)
 	if err != nil {
 		logger.Errorf("unable to set up overall controller-runtime manager: %+v", err)
 		return