Good Managers: Where do we find a few?

Management is the Art of "Making the Trains run on Time."

Deciding whether to travel by boat, train or plane is the principal duty of a firm's governance; those are strategic choices (What will we do?). 

Management's role is tactical in nature:  to implement the firm's strategy.  What will we do to make the trains run on time?

In case you're wondering, there's no such thing as a "management gene."  Good managers aren't born with "it."  It is something, however, you can learn and become very good at with practice, practice and more practice. 

But you've got to practice the right way and, most important, start in the right place.  Much of the management training you'll encounter will consist of "new insights" into things to do and not to do.  And when those insights aren't new anymore, they'll be replaced by some "breakthroughs" and some other things to do and not to do. 

Let's take another approach.  What if we were to begin by asking, "What am I managing?"

While you're thinking about that question, you might want to look at my Lecture Notes and PowerPoint slides for our Week in the World of Organizations and their Management. 

• Download organizations_and_their_management_week_6.ppt

Keep reading to learn more about the highlights of Chapters 7 and 8 and even more about becoming an effective manager.

Here's the perspective I'm suggesting you take:  Rather than learning and trying all the latest management tips and tricks, what happens if you first look at your organization and understand what it's doing or not doing or supposed to be doing?

Does your organization look like this? 

Where and how do you think decisions are made in an organization that looks like this? 

What kinds of reports are prepared and how are they distributed?

Now look at this organization.  Doesn't look anything like the first one, does it?  Why do you think that is?  

Do you think the same management "style" would work in these two very different looking organizations?

How do you think information gets transmitted in the "cube farm?"  Where and how do they make decisions?

Highlights and Key Terms from Textbook Reading Assignment

Consider reading Chapter 8 before Chapter 7.  Chapter 8 deals organizing the resources necessary to execute your business's purpose.  Chapter 7 addresses managing those organized resources.  See why I think Chapter 8 should be read before Chapter 7?  Don't resources have to be organized before they can be managed?

Chapter 8

• The only other time I heard the term "chain of command" used was when I was in the US Army.  It presumably is used in all other branches of the armed services, but rarely, if ever, will you hear it in the business world.
• The terms "span-of-control," "organizational height" and "line-versus-staff" are not absolutes.  They will vary in use and importance depending on a firm's strategic purpose.  Also, there are no "rules-of-thumb" that describe whether you have enough or too little of any of them.
• The distinction between "Inside" (Internal) Directors and "Outside" (External) Directors is more than functional.  How can "Inside" Directors be objective in any strategic decision-making?  Don't they have a "conflict of interest" in any decision that effects their compensation or continued employment (which probably is just about every question deliberated by a Board of Directors)?
• A "matrix" organizational structure is a hybrid designed to deal with complex projects where multiple structures may be necessary.  CH2MHill, an international engineering firm started in Corvallis, perfected its use.  A classic example of the matrix structure's application is the development of an airport where separate sub-structures are needed to organize the construction of, for example, runways, terminals and other facilities.
• Be wary of informal organizational gambits like "consensus" decision-making or "open-door" policies.  Consensus requires unanimous agreement (or no objections); something that's difficult and time-consuming to obtain.  It may have the benefit of everybody being "on-the-same-page," but the process for getting there often reduces to finding alternatives that no one finds objectionable as opposed to enthusiastically supporting.  Also, if someone's door is "always open," why do they need to tell you that?  It should be obvious if it truly is always open.
• Managers manage a variety of related, but different functions; supervisors supervise a single function or activity.
• An organization's structure will be defined by its strategic purpose and organized by (i) product, (ii) function or (iii) something else like geographical locations, brands, customers, industries, etc.  None of these approaches will work perfectly; they all suffer some defect.  Organizational structures are, by necessity, compromises and dynamic.  Good managers understand that change occurs constantly and the pace of change is usually increasing.

Chapter 7

• Don't be concerned with the "levels of management" discussion.  Depending on your firm's strategic purpose, one level might be one too many or half-a-dozen might not be enough.  After skimming through this section, go back to the first question, "What am I managing?"
• Simplify the planning process and be sure to know the difference between planning and plans.  To be successful, innovative solutions and creative problem-solving are needed; in other words, have lots of plans for dealing with a complex and competitive marketplace. 

Planning, on the other hand, too easily morphs into a never-ending process headed by a Vice President and a small army of analysts and administrative assistants.  Keep it simple and succinct:  Strategic plans are long-term in scope (more than one year; sometimes up to 3).  Tactical plans are short-term in scope (usually cover no more than one year).

• Make sure you know all about Management, Governance, Organizations and Leadership, but go lightly on "Controlling."  Well-designed systems will be "self-controlling."  And you don't want a reputation of being "too-controlling."

Skip through the Information Technology (IT) material; last week's "leading-edge" technology will be outdated next week.  Hire only IT people who understand how your business works; the technology is supposed to support the business, not the other way round.

Don't worry if your management or leadership style doesn't fit the textbook's description.  Your style should "fit" your organization and nobody else's idea of the right or wrong way to do things. 

The "Time Management" discussion misses several important points.  First, successful managers should want to be interrupted.  Opportunities (and problems) usually don't arrive at precisely scheduled times.  Second, learn to accept and deal with interruptions; they're part of managing.