Scientific management
Some people think management is a science. It has clear rights and wrongs, with best practices to follow and benchmarks to beat. Success lies in targets, goals and objectives; building the right processes and having the right infrastructure. Organisations are just machines. By applying cold hard logic you will get results.
Clarity is a good thing — well, wooly thinking certainly isn’t — but are we right to see business this way? Organisations are crammed with people, interactions, misunderstandings, egos and agendas. Is management a discipline or a balancing act?
If organisations are as much an art as a science, then the answer should be obvious. There should be some big juicy problems and dilemmas to see that will prove the point.
How’s this for a dilemma ..?
Opinion #1. Openness
We need to create learning organisations. Organisations that “fess up” to their mistakes and build on them. If you don’t make mistakes you will never improve. If you don’t improve you will never become very skilful. James Dyson admits he failed over 5,000 times before he created the cyclone vacuum.
Opinion #2. Accountability
We need clear enforced accountability. We should manage performance expectations consistently. We can’t simply accept poor behaviour. People should be held responsible for their mistakes. Then they will learn from their errors and they won’t repeat them.
A difficult tight rope to tread
If you create openness and don’t confront poor performance, will your staff think they can get away with everything?
“You’ve got to work hard to get the sack around here.”
But if you hold everybody to account and rule with an iron fist, then will your staff be scared to admit to anything?
“You have to cover your back around here.”
Is this the biggest dilemma of all?
How do you get everything out into the open without accepting everything?
How do you create an open, accountable — fair — culture?
Are you a fair manager? Has anybody ever suggested you go on a course for that?
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Image by Rae Allen
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It is quite the dilemma, isn’t it? There has to be a balance there, somewhere, that allows both to co-exist and to work hand in hand. I don’t have the answer…
Annette :-)