Thinking about Management

Citation

Sharifi, S. (2001), "Thinking about Management", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 22 No. 3, pp. 139-142. https://doi.org/10.1108/lodj.2001.22.3.139.1

My initial reaction to a book such as “Thinking about management” is to exclaim that management is a thinking practice and thus wonder whether the book will be about “thinking about thinking practices”? Weick (1979) argued that managers are often portrayed as doers but the basis of such doing/acting is inadequately dealt with in management writings. Thinking about management aims to redress the balance.

The book begins by clarifying its stance and that it aims to deal with paradoxes, contradictions and repetition in “management theory” by imposing an order that is based on some organizational elements such as structure, culture and organizational processes such as learning. Palmer and Hardy’s book represents a genre in management “text book” writing which avoids the traditional approaches yet follows them in seeing the need to be all embracing regarding the theories that it covers.

In its attempt to link theory to practice, the old dilemma in the management field, the opening chapter begins with a significant assertion as its sub title: “There’s nothing so practical as a good theory”. It intends therefore, to open a debate on what management theory comprises and what may be considered as a good theory. Palmer and Hardy aim to extend the debate to management practice and practitioners. Here, by questioning the assumptions underlying their actions and by exploring the implications of their decisions, managers will be able to develop alternative insights and enter the academic debate. The challenge for the authors is “in how to translate debates that are primarily embedded in academic discourse and make them accessible to practice”. They seem to make the assumption that management experiences are not reflected in management theory and vice versa. The “ivory tower” approach [academic research] has the “propensity to become divorced from everyday management experience”. This is an uncomfortable assumption, at least for me. Theory, as Weick argues, is just a map, it is not the reality; it is the observer’s interpretation of that reality. These realms are interconnected in our everyday experiences. Riding on a false distinction between management theory and practice is not a challenge.

In its attempt to meet the above challenge, Thinking About Management moves away from the level of abstraction which is found in other books of its genre; e.g. Morgan’s Images of Organization and Imaginization. In doing so it assumes that management practice “revolves around more concrete activities”. The claim that it is grounded in practice is presented in the book by exercise and question boxes. The question here is the extent that questions such as: “What were your expectations of the organization in which you worked?”, “How was the culture change program carried out and with what success (in a familiar organization)?” and so on imply less abstraction. The responses and analysis indeed reflect the schemata of the practitioner/student and yet, whether such “question boxes” will lead to an alternative insight is a learning process which can be unknowable. There are also boxes containing brief case examples, readings and further questions as ways of translating theory into “accessible” material for the consumption of the practising student.

The book also contains a note to educators, which identifies its reader category and clarifies the contexts for its use. The puzzle though remains regarding what “management” or more appropriately managing is. The debate goes on. Thinking about Management attempts to be pragmatic, advisory, grounded, interactive and intellectual simultaneously. Anyhow, this book is rich and thought provoking in content and alert in its approach. It cleverly demonstrates that field of management is a patchwork of ideas.