Management It's Not what you think - Essay Example

What is Management? “Management it’s not what you think it is” by Henry Mintzberg, Bruce Ahlstrand, and Joseph Lampel is a compilation of theories, practical approaches and rational perspectives on the management. The interesting and attention grabbing scenarios/examples enable the reader to distinguish between subjective and objective differences of the management actions. Thus, the book contains hidden wisdom management theories, which enable the reader to devise rational conclusion through stated examples.

The scenarios are both natural and realistic and do not contain the theoretical mundane style, which always seems like only a part of book and not of real practise. The first quote to explain management is mentioned below: “We might thus characterize the manager’s position as the neck of an hourglass, sitting between a network of outside contacts and the internal unit being managed” (Mintzberg, Ahlstrand and Lampel, 2013, Chap.1, Kindle Locations 424-425). The above lines define what is management?

and how it works simply. Management is a bridge, which enable different sections of the firm to coordinate in an organized manner without obstructing the requirements and demands of the other. Hence, managers and their teams have the responsibility to minimize friction (flow obstructing agents) during the work flow and bridge the gap between demand and production. Their presence acts as scaffolding for diverse units of the firm, as they provide support and enable the internal and outside agents to communicate swiftly for the sake of sale/purchase and other actions.

“One function of middle management is to massage or filter information, both upward and downward”(Mintzberg et. al., 2013, Chap. 2, Kindle Locations 827-828). Management is meant to develop smooth flow between internal and external agents and low and high level administration. For the sake of smooth flow, they have to use effective communication approach, which presents facts and data in optimistic style to the leading staff and also show employee favorable policies and rules to the lower level employees.

Thus, management is meant to be prudent and tactful so to run two wheels apart in an effectual manner. This theory does not contain any discrimination between the two levels as one cannot survive without the other, but it only shows their lack of coordination is tactfully fulfilled by management. “Most effective managers possess an idiosyncratic balance of attributes appropriate for the situations they face, and the range of abilities successful companies require must be sought across a team rather than in a single personality” (Mintzberg et. al., 2013, chap.

3, Kindle Locations 1060-1061). Management is not one skill neither it can be expected from a single manager. Management is a set of skills, which require balance and it is applied according to the situation. Thus, a prior diagnosis is mandatory before applying management strategies. Moreover, managers are not liable to entail management skills in themselves only, it is expected from team/coworkers to communicate, coordinate and organize management through mutual agreement and responsibility. Thus, management is a function, which should be expected from the whole department/team rather than a single person.

“Picture the organization as a circle. In the middle is the central management. And around the outer edges are those people who develop, produce, and deliver the products and services – the people with the knowledge of the daily operations” (Mintzberg et. al., 2013, Chap.4,Kindle Locations 1287-1288). Management has a central and integral role in any organization. They are liable for and apt in observing long and short term impact of any action plan. Similarly, they are able to collect and compile functions and efficiently organize them into useful products or services.

Various tits and bits of communication are thus, collected, organized, compiled and processed so to produce profit for the firm. Managers are able to observe all the functions of the organization and they understand better the two groups present for business than any other department of the firm (producer and purchaser, which are at far distant from each other). Hence, management connects people at the edge of the circle and also those who are close to the central point. “Senior managers are powerful role models, and their key contribution to the process of change is to lead by modeling the new behaviors that they expect of their people” (Mintzberg et. al.,2013, Chap.

7, Kindle Locations 2093-2094). Management is a set of actions, which are devised according to the need of the business situation. Hence, scenario for these set of actions can change and similarly, action plan needs to change as well. However, it is often observed that Change becomes an intricate phenomenon in work environment. However, to enable employees to embrace change, management has to role model the same rule/ strategy them self, this practice will intrinsically motivate employees to imitate senior managers and the change management strategy will become applicable.

Change requires implementation of new policy and managers can guide, counsel, train and reinforce these policies, but if they do not practice it them self Change will become hardly digested phenomenon. On the other hand, if senior managers enthusiastically embrace and practice Change their subordinates will take pride in practicing it without any reminder or penalty. References: Mintzberg, Henry; Ahlstrand, Bruce; Lampel, Joseph B. (2013). Management? Its not what you think! (Financial Times Series). (132). Pearson Education Limited.

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