Personal Philosophy Statement Example

Personal Philosophy Statement Example

Personal Philosophy Statement

1. Managerial Philosophy and Practice Paper Introduction

Since I began my working life, I have always been interested in and paying very close attention to my managers in addition to their personal management styles. As a result, I have been able to learn what the best style of management is for me personally and for that reason, I realized or rather found what I would deem my own personal management style and philosophy Personal Philosophy Statement Example. Before proceeding, Henry Mintzberg is one of the most prominent management thinkers. He did argue that management is a complicated issue. He asserts that individuals have lost a detailed understanding of what management entails. However, according to him, there are roles that a manager has to play. Management is not only about managing the internal affairs of a firm, but also spending some time managing contact with other people. However, what puzzles Mintzberg is the fact that little people seem to understand what management is. Mintzberg (2009, p.3) asks, “What happened to management?” Mintzberg is a dedicated scholar who works on understanding the nature of managerial work and what entails a manager’s job (Mintzberg, 2009, p. 2-3). By trying to understand Mintzberg ideas on management, I have been able to shape my own personal management philosophy and style. According to Mintzberg (2009, p.3), a lot of books have been labeled “management,” yet very few of them mention what management actually is.

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Based on the readings of Mintzberg, I have what I consider my style of management; that style is an affiliate-collaborator. The basis of considering myself as an affiliator is because I like an environment where people or employees are happy in addition to favoring a friendly environment when I work, in addition to being more of a brotherly type figure as opposed to a parental type figure. Likewise, I would also consider myself as a collaborator based on the fact that I am a goal at motivating and empowering others. Mintzberg (2009, p.214) asserts that collaboration is about helping employees and others both inside and outside the organization. Being able to comprehend my own management style would be a great advantage to me in future, especially as a manager.

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the significance of personal philosophy in the field of management. A philosophy of management is one of the most fundamental aspects that managers should posses. A philosophy of management is defined as the glue that joins everybody in a given firm so that they can focus their attention towards the attainment of excellence. In other words, it is that set of rational principles that form the basis for guiding or controlling the operations or performance of a given business activity. In actual practice, a management philosophy is also a personal philosophy (Yang, 2012).

In this paper, I plan on highlighting the importance of having a philosophy statement followed by other important aspects in management, such as value creation, personal management ethos, choices and experiences that shape such ethos and how I will practice such ethos as a professional manager. In addition, this paper will also highlight my managerial skills and how they reflect my managerial ethos before identifying resources and support mechanisms that I would need to take my philosophy and intent to practice forward.

 

2. Philosophy

Management and value creation

            In the practice of management, value creation is regarded as a key objective. According to Mintzberg (2009, p.10), management is neither a science nor a profession, but a practice learned through and rooted. However, management applies science while effective managing is dependent on art as art produces the “vision” and “insight” based on intuition. Mintzberg (2009, p. 10) argues that management can be seen to involve threes aspects; art, which brings in integration and ides; craft which makes connections by building on tangible experiences and science which provides the order through systematic analysis of knowledge.

To me, management is running an organization in the right manner while value creation is coming up or creating something of substance that identifies a company so as to make repeated purchases increase. According to Figueiredo and Scaraboto (2016) value creation is the process of performing actions that tend to increase the worth of goods and services and even a business as a whole. To Mintzberg (2009, p. 12), value creation is a manager’s job. Such is realized when a manager does his best to bring out the best in other people, so that can know, decide, and act better. In the practice of management, ethos are necessary. Throughout my academic and work practice, I have realized that it is important to have ethos. In definition, ethos refers to the morals, beliefs and values of a person or even an entire culture.

Personal management ethos

Throughout my academic years and the beginning of my career, I have been able to develop and realize my personal management ethos. What makes a great manager great? Even though this question depends on whom you ask, it all depends on personal management ethos present in a given company. Mintzberg (2009, p. 197) brings out a lot of personal issues that determines who a great manager is. He argues that a manager is somebody charismatic, inspiring, passionate, visionary, ambitious and tenacious. Consistency, flexibility, engaging and being dependable make up some of the management ethos of an individual. By definition, personal management ethos are management principles employed by managers in an attempt aimed at keeping employees happy and productive (Figueiredo and Scaraboto, 2016). For managers to be effective in their roles, they have to realize the kind of management ethos that best suit them. They have to adopt a style that establishes trust, rapport, respect, trust and engaging in a way.

Personally, I harbor a number of management ethos. Having had the opportunity to work under a number of managers and realized their management behavior, I have learnt to develop my own personal management ethos. The first one is communication. The key to managing is communication. The need to effectively communicate, both orally and written is one of the critical elements for an effective leader of any organization (Berthel and Becker, 2003). In the practice of management, I have always worked on being a good communicator. I can say that I am a good communicator which involves active listening, a character that I posses. I have an experience of how poor communication can negatively affect a company. Poor communication lines mean poor coordination of duties. Personally, I am a good communicator.

Secondly, on personal grounds, I am a good decision maker. In the practice of management, I have and will always seek to promote this aspect as one of the personal management ethos practices. According to Iacob and Iacob (2016), the business world revolves around timely and effective decision making. I am timely and effective in my decision making as I always strive in gathering and analyzing appropriate information in the appropriate amount of time before making decisions. I do not unnecessarily ponder, delay, and create some form of paralysis by analysis.

Lastly, I’m good at providing direction and follow up. According to Jiao, Pan, Liang, Feng and Yang (2016), each and every business leader needs substantial amount of information input as part of a decision making process. Through effective communication, direction is provided. I will utilize my time in ensuring that follow-up become part and parcel of my management practice. All along, I have been good at ensuring that all agreed upon issues are followed up so that progress can be achieved.

Importance of personal management ethos

The above aforementioned ethos is important for me due to a number of reasons. Through good communication a company stands to benefit a lot as people know what is expected of them at all times. Ineffective communication or poor communication lines may be detrimental to the organization as important issues may be misinterpreted. Being efficient and fast in making decisions can mean so much to an organization as the pace at which the world is moving demands speed in decision making. Lastly, being able to provide direction and follow up is the right ethos for me since by ensuring that direction and follow-ups on issues discussed, the firm can avoid delays which may end up affecting a company’s profitability margins.

Developing Personal Ethos

            The above personal ethos did not come by chance. Key experiences and events shaped the development of the aforementioned personal ethos. My experiences started back in 2014, while I was working as an intern at a local shoe company after completing my Diploma. A supervisor role soon became available and no prior experience was needed, just an ability to conform to the work schedule. I felt that this was a position that I could fill as it allowed for weekends off. On expressing my interest to the job, it came as a surprise when I immediately got it.

Four months into the job, our department came under new management due to partnership with another shoe company. This was soon followed by expansion in terms of new buildings, equipments and bigger working space aimed at accommodating the new set of incoming employees. For me, this meant that my duties as a supervisor would increase as hours would extend to holidays and weekends not forgetting that I would be in charge of conducting employee meetings, scheduling, hiring and even reprimanding some employees.

However, I soon realized that things were not the same as they were before. Much needed to be done. I realized that I had to focus my attention to employees under my watch. I needed to develop personal ethos that would ensure that the company runs smoothly. I needed to develop personal ethos that would ensure that I foster good communication skills, good decision making and efficient direction and follow-up are evident in the organization. It is with such an experience that I realized the importance of developing a personal ethos statement that will determine the direction and life of the organization.

3. Practice

How to practice ethos as a professional manager

            Personal management ethos, without proper practice, will all be futile and useless in the end. There are ways in which such ethos can be put into practice. As a professional manager, I would put the aforementioned ethos into practice by making certain requirements that everybody has to adhere to. For instance, on grounds of communication, I would ensure that all communication lines are open at all times. Moreover, I would ensure that a bottom-up oral communication approach is present. Mintzberg (2009, p. 34-37) argues that oral modes of communication are the best and should be emphasized as they make more than half of communication models that is used by a lot of people. For this reason, I would also ensure such as mails may not be seen or ignored at times.

Secondly, on grounds of decision making, I would ensure that the process follows due process without skipping any part. To put such into practice, I would first identify the decision and then gather relevant information which is followed by identifying the alternatives in place. After this I will weigh the evidence before choosing among the alternatives before taking the necessary action which will be lastly followed by a review of the decision made and its consequences.

Effective direction and follow-up is one of the most crucial factors that professional managers must possess (Hotho, Lyles, Easterby-Smith, 2015). To put this into practice, I would ensure that I set performance goals and set a number of instructions that must be adhered to. Providing direction is not an easy thing as such. However, to make this possible, I would ensure that I set certain organizational objectives or goals which are later followed by follow-ups to ensure that they are met.

The practice of ethos: Does it make one a responsible manager?

By doing all the above, I would be termed as a responsible manager based on the parameters used by a lot of people to judge who a responsible manager is. According to Baú (2016), a responsible is the one able to communicate effectively. When CEOs and a couple of senior executives in a good number of countries and industries were asked to list some of the most important skills that a responsible manager must possess, majority of the answers showed that good possessing good communication skills is one of them. By spending some significant time engaged in communication with employees and other shareholders, I would be termed as a responsible manager. Baú (2016) further asserts that mastering leadership; communication should be a top priority for leaders who want their organizations or even the broader community to consider them as leaders.

On grounds or aspects of decision making, research has shown that managers who conduct effective decision making stand a chance to be termed as responsible managers. Decision making is not an easy process as such as some decisions made may not be in the interest of everybody (Hotho, Lyles, Easterby-Smith, 2015). However, by efficiently practicing this ethos as a professional manager effectively, chances of being termed as a responsible manager remain high. As noted earlier, the ability to direct and effectively follow-up is another personal management ethos that I encourage. Having the ability to provide direction for the organization is one of the most important elements for firms today. The ability to provide for directives by setting organizational goals and subsequently following them up is one of the most important aspects that managers must grasp (Jiao, Pan, Liang, Feng and Yang, 2016). By ensuring such a practice, I would be termed as a responsible manager able to ensure that an organization goes towards the right direction.

How the practice of ethos leads to fulfillment and happiness

According to recently published reports, increasing a sense of meaningfulness at the place of work is one of the most potent, but underutilized ways of increasing engagement, productivity, and performance. According to Berthel and Becker (2003), managers who practice effective personal management ethos are able to achieve happiness and fulfillment in their work. However, by practicing the aforementioned personal management ethos, I stand a higher chance of finding happiness and fulfillment as a professional manager due a number of reasons.

For instance, ensuring that an effective communication strategy exists in the organization characterized by bottoms-up or vertical communication among others will make me happy. An organization where communication lines are open and everybody can raise an issue without fear will ultimately make me happy. In addition, a good decision-making process that takes the interest of everybody at heart without causing any rifts will also make me happy and realize some fulfillment. It cannot go without mentioning that good direction and follow-up is self fulfilling if the results are all good in the end. By providing efficient direction and follow up, chances of set or pre-determined organizational goals being realized is high. By directing and following up, I stand a higher chance of seeking happiness and self fulfillment based on the outcomes that may soon be realized.

Current skills that exemplify my managerial ethos

            As noted earlier, ethos refers to habitual values and character of groups, races and individuals among others. Managerial ethos on the other hand is mainly concerned with the values and character and roles of managers as a professional group (Sheldon, 2003). Mintzberg (2009, p 45) breaks down managerial tasks or skills into three important areas; interpersonal, information processing and aspects of decision making. According to Mintzberg (2009, p. 45), a manager’s various roles such as serving as a spokesman, as a leader and a resource allocator, does fit into one of the aforementioned three activity areas. There are a number of current skills that I possess that exemplify my managerial ethos as hereby outlined:

1. Oversight

According to Anguelov (2016), oversight means the ability to keep track of what is going on while setting right anything that seems to be getting out of place. This may include anything from checking for inefficiencies to checking whether a certain set target is on time or even reviewing the business model. This is a skill that exemplifies and reflects my managerial ethos based on the fact that the organization and its goals or projects does not diverge out of direction and organizational goals are met based on oversight or systems put in place to check for inefficiencies.

To ensure that the above are in place, I would put in place systems aimed at ensuring that all cases of corruption or reliable and verifiable performance monitoring and reporting are in place so as to ensure that highest standards of personal integrity are promoted.

 

1. Directing

According to Brunet-Thornton and Machek (2016), directing involves taking charge and letting people know what to do, a process also known as delegating, giving orders, and making some decisions. This is a skill that I highly possess and it reflects my managerial ethos based on the fact an organization that lack some form of direction risk spinning out of direction to the extent of affecting the whole company as a whole.

Putting this aspect into practice will involve setting out certain directives that everybody has to adhere to. Directing involves laying out certain organizational rules and forms of punishment or penalties to those who fail to comply, according to them (Brunet-Thornton and Machek, 2016). At this juncture, I would ensure that I sit down with departmental heads and subsequently set some rules that everybody regardless of seniority or position adheres to.

1. Coordinating

A manager must be capable of knowing what is happening, what needs to happen, in addition to who and what is available to accomplish some needed tasks (Brunet-Thornton and Machek, 2016). Coordination involves being able to if someone is miscommunicating, if there is a person in need of help or even if a problem is being overlooked or underutilized. A manager needs to notice and correct such issues and others. Luckily, this is a skill that I posses reflecting one of managerial ethos. Previous supervisory roles that turned me into a manager made me realize how important coordination is.

To put this into practice, I would effectively liaise with other managers and departmental heads on where problems are most common. Additionally, I would talk with all employees and seek their opinion on problematic areas they feel need urgent attention. By so doing, I would ensure that the organization works and acts as a unified whole.

4. Renewal

Resources and support mechanisms needed to drive management philosophy forward

            As noted way earlier, my personal style of management is more of an affiliator-collaborator type. I’m an affiliator based on the fact that I like an environment where employees are happy in addition to promoting a friendly environment. As a collaborator, my management style is based on the fact that I am a goal oriented person. More importantly, I’m good in communication. Communication, efficient decision-making and the ability to provide direction is important for organizational success. I find myself excellent in ensuring efficient communication, efficient decision making and directing takes place in an organization. However, there are resources and support mechanisms that are needed to be taken in order for this all this to come true.

Necessary Conditions for Success

            Managers are leaders who lead teams and the whole organization into achieving the desired vision and mission. A number of resource and support mechanism or conditions are needed so as to drive an intended philosophy forward. According to Mintzberg (2009, p. 2-3) there is no single recipe to success. This applies to all managers under all conditions. However, certain conditions such as social cohesion in an organization, teamwork and communication are some of the necessary conditions needed for success.

According to Anguelov (2016), there must be some form of will or agreement by everybody within the organization on some of the agreed upon initiatives for success. Everybody within the organization must be in agreement on what is expected of them at all times. Such will ultimately ensure that the achievements of organizational goals are realized within the stated time frame.

Another equally important aspect that positions a given company into succeeding is if it fosters and encourages diversification. By emphasizing on aspects of cross-unit collaboration, organizations stand a chance of realizing success (Anguelov, 2016). This is one of the most necessary conditions necessary needed for success to occur. The world is huge and globalization is here with us. Organizations cannot ignore the fact that the globe is diversified. By pursuing diversification and hiring people from different races and backgrounds, companies stand to benefit a lot as different people come with different ideas that may be helpful to companies.

Lastly, another condition needed for success is the willingness for employees to accept change. Initiating change is one of the most difficult exercises that managers have to face on a daily basis (Anguelov, 2016). By informing employees on the importance and benefits of change, organizations stand a higher chance of realizing success in a number of its initiatives. However, this cannot be achievable without tracking the necessary information for success.

Information to track

All the above can however be achieved by tracking the right source of information. However, according to Brunet-Thornton and Machek (2016), information coming from internal sources such as employees or other departments is one of the best means that companies can rely to get information on the real issues that affect companies. As a manger, such would form the basis of my information.

Networking: How important is it?

To achieve the above, networking is a necessary factor. Networking is a strategic component that is important to business entities. According to Mintzberg (2009, p. 79), networking is an important factor that managers have o master. Having good relationships with people may benefit lots of business entities in a manner not expected before. For a manager to realize this factor, he or she has to join a network that promises to make this a reality. In Mintzberg’s Ten Management Roles, Liaison is one of the most important things. Here, Mintzberg (2009, p. 76) argues that managers have to communicate with both the internal and external contacts by forming networks effectively on the organizational behalf.  An operational network proves to be the most effective one. By joining an operational network, chances of a manager witnessing work done efficiently while maintaining the capacities and functions required of groups seem possible (Phillips, 2017).

Based on the above understanding, I would join an operational network, which involves the cultivation of relationships with different people for purposes aimed at ensuring that certain tasks or organizational goals are accomplished. This would translate into working closely with the Human Resources manager or department so as to ensure that the right people are hired not forgetting the need to develop relationships within other departments to win the support of management initiatives.

For the above reasons, I would ultimately join operational networking for purposes aimed at ensuring that I build good working relationships with people who can help me do my job in an effective manner. Such networks include not only direct reports, but also superiors and peers within an operational unit and other internal players who have the power to block or support a given project.

As a manager, would try to asses assemble my managerial too bag on a number of issues. I will start assembling or finding out my capabilities in the ability to communicate well with employees within the organization as a good communication is effective in pushing organizations forward. In addition, I would also begin assembling my managerial tool bag by trying to realize how I can motivate employees within the organization. By motivating employees, a firm stands a chance of retaining them for long. Lastly, I would start assembling my managerial tool bag by understanding the importance of directing and coordinating in the organization. Personal Philosophy Statement Example These are two important factors that promise to push organizations into the next level of success.

Conclusion

            In brief, Personal philosophy, especially in management is an important factor that cannot be ignored anymore. Managerial philosophy is an important element that leaders have to foster. Personally, I have my own personal managerial styles that I foster. Personal management ethos is important for managerial success. Without managerial ethos, business entities may not survive. There are important ethos that effective managers have to foster. However, it is important to note that there are some key events or experiences that shape the development of such. In practice, a professional manager is judged by how he or she promotes such ethos. Effective promotion of such can make one be termed as an effective manager or not. By so doing, he or she will attain some form of happiness or fulfillment. Closely related to this, there are some important skills that a manager should possess that can reflect his or her managerial ethos. However, there are some support mechanism and other necessary conditions that must be present for a certain managerial philosophy to become practical Personal Philosophy Statement Example.

 

References

Anguelov, L. G. (2016). Outsourcing Oversight and ARRA 2009: What Factors Explain State Agencies’ Decision to Pursue Collaborative Monitoring?. Review of Policy Research, 33 (2), 160-177.

Baú, V. (2016). Citizen engagement in peacebuilding: A communication for development approach to rebuilding peace from the bottom-up. Progress in Development Studies, 16 (4), 348-360.

Berthel, J., & Becker, F. G. (2003). Personal-Management. Grundzüge für Konzeptionen betrieblicher Personalarbeit, 7.

Brunet-Thornton, R., & Machek, O. (2016). Minzberg, Management, and Prague. Central European Business Review, 5 (4), 5-10.

Costea, B., Crump, N., & Holm, J. (2005). Dionysus at work? The ethos of play and the ethos of Management. Culture and Organization, 11 (2), 139-151.

Figueiredo, B., & Scaraboto, D. (2016). The Systemic Creation of Value Through Circulation in Collaborative Consumer Networks. Journal of Consumer Research, 43 (4), 509-533.

Hotho, J. J., Lyles, M. A., & Easterby-Smith, M. (2015). The Mutual Impact of Global Strategy and Organizational Learning: Current Themes and Future Directions. Global Strategy Journal, 5 (2), 85-112.

Iacob, C. C., & Iacob, S. G. (2016). The Importance of Institutional Communication in the New Knowledge Economy. Valahian Journal of Economic Studies, 7 (3), 69-74.

Jiao, L., Pan, Q., Liang, Y., Feng, X., & Yang, F. (2016). Combining sources of evidence with reliability and importance for decision making. Central European Journal of Operations Research, 24 (1), 87-106.

Mintzberg, H. (2009). Managing (Berrett-Koehler and Pearson, 2009)—about the characteristics, roles, varieties, conundrums, and effectiveness of managing.

Phillips, D. (2017). The Transformational Power of Networking in Today’s Business World. Journal of Property Management, 82 (2), 20-23.

Sheldon, O. (2003). The philosophy of management (Vol. 2). Psychology Press.

Yang, B. (2012). Confucianism, socialism, and capitalism: A comparison of cultural ideologies and implied managerial philosophies and practices in the P. R. China. Human Resource Management Review, 22 (3), 165-178.

Reading Guide – Henry Mintzberg – Managing

  

Book

Henry Mintzberg Managing (Berrett-Koehler and Pearson, 2009)—about the characteristics, roles, varieties, conundrums, and effectiveness of managing.

Personal Web Site: http://www.mintzberg.org/

 

 

begin your reflections by considering these questions:

• How do I adapt as a manager?
  • How do I use the three qualitative skills to adapt?
    • Situational awareness
    • Sense Making
    • Persuasion for Action
• What is my managerial practice?
  • What are my core managerial values?
  • What are my best managerial skills?
• How do I want to sustain and enhance my capacity for practice going forward?
• Personal Philosophy Statement Example

 

 

Chapter 1

 

1. Pages 1-8 – Note how Mintzberg describes how we have lost a detailed understanding of what management actually is and means and how we are supposed to go about managing effectively.
   1. How did this happen?

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2. Pages 8-9 – Our problem in appreciating how to manage is linked directly to the over emphasis we place on leadership.
   1. Why does Mintzberg want to return our emphasis to management?
   2. What does Mintzberg mean by the term communityship?
   3. How does Mintzberg’s use of the word “community” relate to how we are understanding the organization as a complex communicative system? Personal Philosophy Statement Example
3. You may find these supplementary articles useful as additional reading:

 

“The End of Leadership” from Strategy + Business

http://www.strategy-business.com/article/ac00038?pg=all

 

 

“Mintzberg’s Refreshing Ideas on Leadership” from the Institute for Human Resources

http://info.profilesinternational.com/Portals/63683/docs/WP_IHR_ViewOfLeadership_0817_PI.pdf

 

 

4. Pages 9-13 – Managers practice a craft of value creation.
   1. Why does Mintzberg view management as a practice rather than a science or a profession?
   2. Notice how Mintzberg’s view here fits with the complexity view of the organization moving forward through time creating value. Managers facilitate that movement of the organization so that it can create the value it is supposed to create.

 

5. Pages 13-14 – Management thinking has actually changed very little over time.
   1. Why have the fundamental principles of management remained the same over time, even if we like to think otherwise? Personal Philosophy Statement Example
   2. How does Mintzberg’s point here relate to our discussion of how organizational scholars today are “rediscovering” how to see the organization as a complex communicative system?

 

6. Pages 15-16 – Overview of the remainder of the book.

 

Chapter 2

1. How does Mintzberg’s discussion of “The Dynamics of Management” align with Koschmann’s view of the organization as constituted by communication and Clampitt’s argument that the primary managerial task is to cultivate a system of communication in the organization?
2. What does Mintzberg mean by saying that we need to bring the covert reality of management in line with the overt image of management?
3. How does Mintzberg’s argument in Chapter 2 run counter to what you probably have been taught about management? Especially running counter to what you may have been taught in an undergraduate course on management, organizational behaviour, or human resource management?
4. Page 19, The Managerial Pace. How do managers deal with the unrelenting pace of work?  How do you deal with it yourself?  What does Mintzberg mean by saying that we need to become proficient at our superficiality? Personal Philosophy Statement Example
5. Page 23, Action Orientation. Note the connection to adaptation here and the argument that good managers are proficient at adaptation.
6. Page 26, What forms of communication do you need to function effectively?
7. Page 26. Why do we negatively valence effective communication skills by calling them “soft” skills?
   1. A useful recent article and a video for discussing “soft” information;

Transactional versus relationship view

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RqXx6jWbSk

 

Soft Skills Campaign

http://www.southwestbusiness.co.uk/news/15012015083127-soft-skills-cbi-campaign-welcomed-by-gloucestershire-business/

 

8. Page 27, how important is personal access to your ability to manage effectively?
9. Page 28, What percentage of your work involves relationship management of some sort?
10. Pages 37-41. How essential is access to the internet for your ability to work effectively? How do you manage your email?  Do you even try to manage your email? Personal Philosophy Statement Example
11. Pages 40-41. Has virtual technologies actually changed management or have these technologies just become part of the “normally calculated chaos” landscape of management?

 

 

Chapter 3

 

1. Page 43-44. How does Mintzberg’s depiction of management as occurring on three planes (information, people, action) align with Clampitt’s arguments for managing by cultivating a communication system?
2. Page 48, Figure 3.2: Mintzberg’s three-plane Model of Managing.  What does Mintzberg mean by using the term ‘plane’?  Does the term resonate with you?
3. Page 49. Note the connection of Mintzberg’s explanation of his model to how we have depicted managing as moving forward to create value:  Managers act to move the organization forward in a useful direction.
4. Page 50, note Mintyzberg’s discussion ‘framing’ and the importance of framing the managerial role. Framing is a very important concept for the study of managerial persuasion.  Here is a link to the best available resource on managerial framing:

The Power of Framing

http://ca.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470494522.html

 

5. Overview of the Model
   1. The person in the job
   2. Managing through information
   3. Managing with people
   4. Managing action directly

 

How does the model strike you?  Is this a more effective or less effective way of understanding management than the more conventional definitions of management that you have encountered before?

 

6. As you read and reflect on this chapter, keep in mind how Miintzberg’s model aligns with both Koschmann’s and Clampitt’s perspectives on managing.
7. Page 59, note the connection back to Simon, who I discussed briefly in Module 1.
8. Page 62, how exactly does a manager “move one step closer to action but still remain removed from”?
9. Page 69, if you as a manager are “the energy center of the unit’s culture,” what exactly are you? Helpful here to recall our discussion of culture when we covered Clampitt Chapter 4.
10. Page 76, how important are your networks to your managerial effectiveness? Personal Philosophy Statement Example
11. Pages 81-84 – when you read Mintzberg discussing strategy here, keep in mind the connection back to Clampitt’s book as a method for bringing strategy down to the level of day to day practice.
12. Pages 88-90. Can you actually become a “well-rounded manager”?  Can any one?
13. Page 95, how do you create a ‘dynamic balance’ for yourself as a manager?

 

 

Chapter 4

 

1. How well does Mintzberg’s claims about the variability of managerial practice resonate with your experience?
2. Page 98, Five Managerial Contexts:
   1. External context
   2. Organizational context
   3. Job context
   4. Temporal context
   5. Personal context
3. As you read through Mintzberg’s discussions of how managers work with these contexts, keep in mind
   1. Module 2’s development of the three qualitative skills
      1. Situational awareness – making good perceptions of the context
      2. Sense making – making good sense from the awareness of the situation.

• Persuading others to act on directions formed from the sense making.

1. Clampitt’s Iceberg model from Chapter 9 as well as his opening discussions in Chapters 1 and 2, which all illustrate the importance of context to managerial action

4. Page 110, What examples have you encountered that would support Mintzberg’s claim that “size of organization can sometimes trump level in organization for its effects on managing”?
5. Page 111, why would middle managers be more capable of leveraging informal networks to create effective action than executives? Personal Philosophy Statement Example
6. Page 117, When you read Mintzberg’s discussion of managerial fashion, keep in mind Clampitt’s discussion of the problematic I-A loop from Chapter 6.
7. Pages134-147. Why is the word ‘posture’ useful for Mintzberg in describing ways to group managerial practices?

 

 

Chapter 5

 

1. Why does Mintzberg use the word ‘conundrum’ to describe the basic challenges managers face?
2. Page 159, Table 5.1 Mintzberg’s managerial conundrums.
3. Pages 162-163. When Mintzberg discussed how strategies “emerge,” recall or discussions from Module 1 regarding how the organization will find a way to move forward toward value creation.
4. As you read the chapter on managerial conundrums, identify the conundrums that are most relevant for you – the conundrums that you seem to face most often. Does the simple fact of recognizing these “issues” as a conundrum help you to deal with it better?  Or not?
5. How does the knowledge from the course assist your ability to navigate these conundrums? Ideally, the course knowledge – such as the heuristics from Clampitt – should enhance your ability for dealing with these conundrums. Personal Philosophy Statement Example Personally, I have found the notion that the organization needs to move forward through time creating value to be quite useful for dealing with the conundrums:  If the organization seems to be moving forward in the right direction, creating the right value the right way, right now; then, positive consequences tend to occur.

 

Chapter 6

 

1. Pages 198-205 – Management Failures. Have you ever experienced one of the failures yourself?  What examples come to your mind of managers who have experienced one of these failures?

 

2. How do we deal with the knowledge that a great deal of managerial success on one day does not guarantee a high degree of success on the next day? How do we managers deal effectively with the reality that it is very easy for us to fail?
3. As you read through Mintzberg’s “Framework for Effectiveness,” note that the fundamental model of the Philosophy and Practice paper assignment does map onto Mintzberg’s framework.
4. Page 212, what does Mintzberg mean when he writes that “We hear a great deal these days about managers having to be global; it is far more important that they be worldly”?
5. Page 216, notice the link between the key point from our class that managers facilitate the organization’s ability to move forward through time creating value and Mintzberg’s point that managers both “go with the flow, but they also make the flow.”
6. Page 291, As you read through the section on “Selecting, Assessing, and Developing Effective Managers,” reflect on how well Mintzberg’s points are reflected (or are not reflected) in your organization. What actions make your organization either more or less capable of selecting, assessing, and developing effective managers?
7. Page 223, What is your opinion of Mintzberg’s assertion that “ A healthy organization is not a collection of detached human resources who simply look after their own turf; it is a community of responsible human beings who care about the entire system and its long-term survival”?
8. Page 225, What exactly does Mintzberg mean when he writes that judgment lies beyond measurement?
9. Page 235, in Mintzberg’s conclusion in which he discusses the importance of seeing the organization as a community; how does his view here connect with our class depiction of the organization as a complex, communicative entity? Personal Philosophy Statement Example

 

Appendix

 

1. As you read through the managers’ stories, consider such questions as:
   1. How does this manager’s experience resonate with my own experience?
   2. What information from their stories can you use to enhance your own practice?
   3. Mintzberg has drawn a book full of general observations and conclusions from these stories, what general observations do you make? What general conclusions do you draw? Personal Philosophy Statement Example