Management #1 What Is Management? There are literally thousands of management books. A recent search on Amazon.com listed over 32,000 titles in that subject category. Despite all these resources, management is still considered, for the most part, an elusive art. There is no agreement on even the meaning of the term, and without agreement on what something means, it is even more difficult to make progress on improving it. The Common View of Management Many employees don't respect and value their manager. Often the manager, or boss, or supervisor, is considered a power and authority, someone who can grant rewards and impose penalties and punishments, rather than someone who is an ally in improving and fulfilling one's life. As a result, managers are not thought of as coaches and supporters, but rather people from whom one has to hide one's weaknesses and errors. One obeys orders because of the potential incentives and threats. Furthermore, a common view (of both employees and managers) is that the job of management is to make decisions and use assigned resources, including the employees under their command, to fulfill the promises and requirements of the organizational entity for which the manager is responsible. However, few find it inspiring to be a resource to fulfill someone else's accountability. Most people are inspired when they are in action fulfilling something of importance to themselves. Thus, we think the common view of management is one that negatively impacts the ability of an organization to produce results. Some Questions The purpose of the articles in the Management section is to bring clarity and a practical operational viewpoint to the discussion of management. We plan to address the following questions, among others: • What is management, particularly as distinguished from leadership? • What are the characteristics of powerful relationships between a manager and the members of the group being managed? What are the characteristics of relationships that aren't very powerful? • What are the particular skills a manager should have? • What are practical tips for being an effective manager? • How can performance appraisals be powerful and have positive value for both manager and employee? • How can an employee be effectively removed from an organization, minimizing damage to both employee and those remaining behind? • How can a manager help those reporting to him or her deal with what appears to be continual change? • What can be done to effectively deal with a micro-managing manager? • How is management different in a virtual organization? Summary The purpose and function of management is not clear to many, including many managers. The common view of management seems to undermine the ability of an organization to most effectively produce results. The articles in this section will propose approaches to make the purpose, function, and practice of management clear and powerful for both manager and employee. Article version 1 © 2002 Frontier Associates, Inc. Permission is granted to reprint and distribute this article provided that the copyright and source information are included.