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From: Arthur Battram [mailto:apb@arthurbattram.com]

Only if management is like a pharmaceutical - pace Viagra which has driven
the thousands of quack remedies away and helped save a few rhinos. Who
says big Pharma is all bad?

But the metaphor is ill-chosen [its a joke, not a thesis].

The answer at he risk of being banal is better illustrated with the idea of
a craftsperson with a toolbag, and a knowledge of what the tools do/don't
do/dontapplyto/do apply to, the ability to improvise new tools (for example
- to use a chisel on a phone cable as a plumb-bob, and a set of memories and
experiences, some rules of thumb and excellent diagnostic and system mapping
skills.

Best wishes
Arthur Battram

> Does the existence of thousands of management books prove (or at least
> support) the notion that there is no best way of managing? Is it even the
> case that "the best way of managing" is a legitimate goal? Is the idea of
> "what works best" inherently flawed? Is it more likely that what works
> best is situational? Should management education and development focus
> less on what to do (be it method or technique) and more on how to figure
> out what to do (i.e., select or devise methods and techniques)?
> Fred Nickols

One thing it might suggest is that what we call "managing" is not a
singular, unitary activity.

One thing it definitely suggests is that there is a lot of money to be
made by writing management books.

Bart

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
S. Bartholomew Craig, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology
North Carolina State University

Campus Box 7801
Raleigh, NC 27695-7801

919.513.0518 (voice)
919.515.1716 (fax)

http://www.ncsu.edu/psychology
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

-----Original Message-----
Does the existence of thousands of management books prove (or at least
support) the notion that there is no best way of managing? Is it even
the case that "the best way of managing" is a legitimate goal? Is the
idea of "what works best" inherently flawed? Is it more likely that
what works best is situational? Should management education and
development focus less on what to do (be it method or technique) and
more on how to figure out what to do (i.e., select or devise methods and
techniques)?

Regards,

Fred Nickols
Distance Consulting
nickols@safe-t.net
www.nickols.us

Why do management educators keep on thinking of management in terms of a
bad of skills or tools? Ultimately, management has to do with management of
people -- working with people, empowering them to develop their full
potential and bring out the best in them. It takes more than skills to
establish trusting relationships. For starters, we need to treat people as
human beings worthy of dignity and respect, not as things or instruments to
be manipulated and utilized.

-----Original Message-----
From: Bart Craig
To: MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
Sent: 5/19/2003 7:48 AM
Subject: Re: Dilbert on Management Books

One thing it might suggest is that what we call "managing" is not a
singular, unitary activity.

One thing it definitely suggests is that there is a lot of money to be
made by writing management books.

Bart

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
S. Bartholomew Craig, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology
North Carolina State University

Campus Box 7801
Raleigh, NC 27695-7801

919.513.0518 (voice)
919.515.1716 (fax)

http://www.ncsu.edu/psychology
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

-----Original Message-----
Does the existence of thousands of management books prove (or at least
support) the notion that there is no best way of managing? Is it even
the case that "the best way of managing" is a legitimate goal? Is the
idea of "what works best" inherently flawed? Is it more likely that
what works best is situational? Should management education and
development focus less on what to do (be it method or technique) and
more on how to figure out what to do (i.e., select or devise methods and
techniques)?

Regards,

Fred Nickols
Distance Consulting
nickols@safe-t.net
www.nickols.us

Fred Said:
Does the existence of thousands of management books prove (or at least
support) the notion that there is no best way of managing? Is it even the
case that "the best way of managing" is a legitimate goal? Is the idea of
"what works best" inherently flawed? Is it more likely that what works
best is situational? Should management education and development focus
less on what to do (be it method or technique) and more on how to figure
out what to do (i.e., select or devise methods and techniques)?
Fred Nickols

Conna replies:

The desire for a formula solution that always works on everything is not
limited to "how to manage." I suspect it is human nature.
Alas, formulaes belong in math and some objective or simplistic sciences.
:) (Did I push a button or two?)
Human beings are still way too complex for a manageable formula (accidental
punny)

In my humble experience I do my students a better service if I focus on
assisting them in developing the skills to figure out what to do in each
situation rather than in leading them to think that "one size fits all."

newly minted -> Dr. Conna Condon

(so nice to have the doctorate done)


----- Original Message -----
From: "Charles Wankel" <wankelc@optonline.net>
To: <MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, May 18, 2003 1:58 PM
Subject: Re: Dilbert on Management Books


> From: Arthur Battram [mailto:apb@arthurbattram.com]
>
> Only if management is like a pharmaceutical - pace Viagra which has driven
> the thousands of quack remedies away and helped save a few rhinos. Who
> says big Pharma is all bad?
>
> But the metaphor is ill-chosen [its a joke, not a thesis].
>
> The answer at he risk of being banal is better illustrated with the idea
of
> a craftsperson with a toolbag, and a knowledge of what the tools do/don't
> do/dontapplyto/do apply to, the ability to improvise new tools (for
example
> - to use a chisel on a phone cable as a plumb-bob, and a set of memories
and
> experiences, some rules of thumb and excellent diagnostic and system
mapping
> skills.
>
> Best wishes
> Arthur Battram
>
> > Does the existence of thousands of management books prove (or at least
> > support) the notion that there is no best way of managing? Is it even
the
> > case that "the best way of managing" is a legitimate goal? Is the idea
of
> > "what works best" inherently flawed? Is it more likely that what works
> > best is situational? Should management education and development focus
> > less on what to do (be it method or technique) and more on how to figure
> > out what to do (i.e., select or devise methods and techniques)?
> > Fred Nickols
>