Accomplished Promotion

The practice of management, though both its scientific standards and its artistic renderings, remains the best way yet to channel the raw energy of human minds, the brute force of vast capital, and the quixotic capability of new technology to transform people by reshaping their perceptions of what’s possible on this planet, and ultimately, even beyond. The marketplace of ideas about management has always been a free market. Accounting, information, logistics, marketing, manufacturing, organizational culture, research and development, sales, social policy; in fact, any discipline within the profession of management, and you’ll find intense debate about questions that matter most to each particular realm of the corporate world. It is as it always was. It is as it should be.

Whenever a large collection of management thinkers are assembled under one roof, one book, or one website, the last thing one should expect is congruence. Management, as it has evolved and still evolving, is a battle of ideas and ideals. Management thinkers and practitioners only align with others when they share common views of how technology can be deployed, how humans can best interact with the machines and systems they have created, and how, when combined, these forces can create new wealth. But wealth follows achievement. Businesses do not prosper because of their strategic planning, they succeed because of their strategic execution and because of the extent to which they can attract both investors and customers to share their strategic purpose. And achievement is very much an exercise in managing for the future.

There are still many questions about management that have not been asked or answered. The greatest debates about how to manage ourselves and our companies have yet to be staged. The most salient ideas about how to manage both the workplace and the world have yet to be widely disseminated, considered, and tested. Even the largest collection of management information and ideas is simply a mental cake mix until students and practitioners stir themselves into the blend and begin to practice new forms of management- to become in essence, new kinds of managers.

Management and human enterprise have brought mankind a long way. We travel fast, communicate easily, shop globally, and learn rapidly. Yet, judging mainly by what management has accomplished in the past and what it hasn’t, we can be quite sure that its study will never become unfashionable. We need not quake over the prospect that the study of management will no longer be needed because its best practices have accomplished everything that needs to be done. We only need to fear the terminal success. Whenever enormous problems involving work, people, and organizations crop up, this question will imminently bubble up too. How do we manage this problem? This list is endless but undoubtedly starts with…

* Some executives do achieve long-term business success. Yet we really don’t know how to replace that executive with one just as capable in order to keep the good corporate times going, nor do we know how to transfer an excellent manager’s expertise to another company or industry.
* The power of large corporations rivals many nations; their top managers are often more widely known than presidents or prime ministers. Yet corporations don’t really know how to wield that power in ways that do not devastate some communities while disproportionately blessing others.
* E-commerce is an increasing force in the buying and selling of goods, both between businesses and between companies and customers. Yet we don’t know how to e-replicate the relationships and loyalty that used to be the greatest asset of any business- customer goodwill.
* Corporations no longer have to be mega in size to leverage global connections, 24/7 workdays and internet communications make it probable, not just possible, that for many, the worker in the next cubicle will be thousands of miles away. Yet few companies have meshed the unique cultural perspectives of a multinational workforce into a coherent, collaborative team.
* Advanced technology has made it possible to fly to outer space and return safely. Yet, all over the globe, people today are struggling with how to fly or drive millions of miles without facing overt terrorism or risking the less obviously terror of environmentally toxic byproducts corrupting the atmosphere permanently.
* Even in the most heralded companies boasting a badge of merit that says they are wonderful places to work, employees and managers slink to work each day uninspired, even desperate- incapable of connecting the mission of the company with their own mission in life.

In almost any corner of one’s life, his or her workplace, community, or global marketplace, there are problems that simply won’t be addressed unless someone in management owns them. Therefore today- right now!, the most important unanswered question in management comes down to four major words; Might That Be You?

By: Alfred Chibuisi Amaechi

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business management