Managament Sidetracks ! - Sexes or Process? -

Life is full of side-tracks Most side-tracks end in vicious circles deviating from the mainorbit and hence the direction or vision, whether it is expressed, understood or otherwise.

Examples of side-tracks in corporate management abound especially in recent years.After the supreme and tranditional western type "Management Theory" fails bitterly in thewake of the Japanese quality products that capture the major sectors of the global markets,many new "Management Theories" flood the market. Faced with a kaleidoscopic spectrumof such proliferation of new theories, new tools, new techniques, existing "Management" thathas lost its focus and direction, is side-tracking more and more.

Little exploration / understanding is made on the existing "Management Theory &Practice". Generally it is an assumption that the basic system of operation is sound. What isneeded is some additions or modifications in the present system of management. Like amerry-go-round, corporation flirts from one experiment to another : TQM, TQC, QCC, 5S,ReEngineering, Benchmarking, ISO 9000, Kaizen, etc. etc. As if the above side-tracking isnot enough, some corporations engage themselves in debating, promoting the issue ofsuitability of sexes : man or woman to be the manager of this department or that entity.

There are pressure groups, opposite views for or against women being better managers :woman liberation, some examples of women as managers with total success or total failure,psychological attributes of woman's suitability or unsuitability of becoming effectivemanagers, etc. These are sound intellectual and logical arguments under the thinkingframework of the conventional understanding of "Management". But these are side-tracksand energy wasting concentration areas under a different thinking framework of"Management" in the light of "Business Process" and "Leadership".

Conventional "Management" focuses on "managing / controlling of recourses,particularly people". A fundamental and taken for granted assumption (which is neververified!) is that if "people is under control, then the Business is under good control for betterprofitability". This out of orbit / side-tracked belief lead to proliferation of many quick fixedsolutions and strong inclination for masculine managers.

However, when "Management" focuses on "Business Process" and "Leadership", choiceof sexes is no longer an issue. From a well understood, designed Business Process, withmapping and measurement of the critical parameters for continuous monitoring andimprovement, a search or experiment is necessary for the type of leadership with the qualityattributes that can ensure the success and control of the "Business Process".

Such leadership is contrary to the conventional managerial-ship. In order to ensure goodBusiness Process control, the leaders will focus on motivating, facilitating people to harnesstheir hidden potential to the fullest to contribute towards the successes of the definedBusiness Process. It is now the management of Shared Vision, Direction, Policy, Creativity ofstaff and Synergy. The attribute of such quality leadership is dependent on the maturity,wisdom and sound theoretical knowledge of a person and no longer a function of sexes,religions, nationalities or races.

End.