Management Musings: Means for merging reality with results

At a time when individuals, institutions and nations alike need better management, I am glad to have launched my eleventh book, aptly titled, “Management Musings.” It, as a compilation of columns I wrote to Daily FT, presents   the “means for merging reality with results.” Today’s column is a reflection of it relating to management at all fronts. 

Overview 

 Musings typically associate with a person's deep, thoughtful, and often lengthy reflections or expressions about a specific topic or idea. That is what I attempted to do. “Management Musings” illustrates issues and incidents with insights  involving individuals, interactive teams, and institutions. Practising managers have been the centre of focus in such discussions, with relevance to other readers as well. 

 It invites you to recognise delightful features of diverse people at different workplaces, reflect on the main challenges associated with managing people in obtaining expected results, relate the basic concepts covering the current issues faced by the reader’s workplace and to reinforce the way one professionally deals with people on multiple fronts. A collection of 30  musings collectively appeals to the avid readers to take management seriously, in moving beyond common sense towards uncommon achievements. 

Remembering with gratitude

 The book, “Management Musings” became a reality because of many wonderful people who inspired me to produce it. First of all, the late Rev. Professor Aloysius Pieris, s.j., Director of the Tulana Research Centre, whom I met 53  years ago, was the one who ignited the writer in me. Anura Siriwardena, the Founder Editor of Vidusara Science Journal, needs a special mention as my teacher in journalism. Late Professor Uditha Liyanage, Former Director, Postgraduate Institute Management has always been a source of inspiration for me with his conceptual brilliance and communication excellence. 

 Let me acknowledge the assistance by Nisthar Cassim, the Editor of Daily Financial Times, in not only publishing my columns but also encouraging me to publish them as volumes. I would like to pay tribute to all my teachers who shaped my managerial profile. Late Prof. Sudaththa Ranasinghe deserves a special mention. Let me acknowledge the encouraging support from my academic and nonacademic colleagues of the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM).

 I remember my late parents, Ernest Dharmasiri, and Gammanpilage Dona Clara with a deep sense of gratitude. On the hind side, I can see the tremendous contribution from my father being an English teacher and mother being a Mathematics teacher, for me to develop both sides of my brain. I dedicated my latest book to Ruklanthi, my soulmate, Navodi, my ever-loving daughter  and Nadeepa, my “ever-living” son whose intense musings  have immensely enhanced me.

Invitation to the readers 

 The book, “Management Musings” highlights many meaningful ways of merging reality with results. Practising managers have been the centre of focus in many detailed discussions, with relevance to other readers as well. I proposed a “four R” approach in getting the best out of Management Musings. 

1.Recognise delightful features of diverse people at different workplaces 

2.Reflect on the main challenges associated with managing people in obtaining expected results  

3.Relate the basic concepts covered to the current issues faced by the reader’s workplace

4.Reinforce the way one professionally deals with people on multiple fronts

 It is expected that the resourceful reading of Management Musings provide you the profound pleasure of understanding the key concepts and appropriately applying them. It reminds me of Marcus Buckingham, a management thinker who said: “Talent is the multiplier. The more energy and attention you invest in it, the greater the yield. The time you spend with your best is, quite simply, your most productive time.”

Contents in a nutshell

I attempted to view a contemporary issue through the lens of management. Any management textbook will give the definition of modern management as “a set of activities, including planning and decision making, organising, leading and controlling directed at an organisation’s human, financial, physical and information resources, with the aim of achieving organisational goals in an efficient and effective manner.” In essence, it is all about achieving goals, which was the case in ancient times as well.

 In a crude sense, management can be broken into three parts, man, age and ment. It essentially speaks about people, times, and actions. As veteran management thinker Henry Mintzberg often advocates that successful management involves interpersonal, informational, and decisional roles. 

 Any organisation can be viewed as a system, comprising inputs, throughputs, and outputs. Hence, management can also be defined as human action, including design, to facilitate the production of useful outcomes from a system. This view opens up the opportunity to 'manage' oneself, a prerequisite to attempting to manage others.

 The collection of 30  musings of the book covers a wide array of topics ranging from human behaviour to organisational performance. It highlights the salience of strategy whilst emphasising excellence as essence. It also includes the reflections on books, movies as well as tele-dramas which are of management relevance. 

 Several musings included in the Management Musings book, pay tribute to departed doyens in management. The musing on Dr. Edvard de Bono who passed away on 9 June 2021, was one such case in point. He is hailed as the “father of creativity” in the western world. His contribution towards making the planet a better place to live through his “lateral thinking” is indeed amazing. 

 “You can analyse the past, but you need to design the future,” said Edward de Bono. We have passed the era of information and reached the era of imagination. Creativity has become a cutting-edge factor for competitive advantage. Creative thinking is a mental activity, which produces new ideas or new insights. It does this by de-patterning or re-patterning thoughts.

 Another musing included highlights the novel insights of “Nadagamkarayo” (Drama folks) , a much acclaimed Sinhala teledrama. The overarching story involved a rural setting with a scenic village, Karandutenna. The socio-economic facets in a religio-cultural fabric are realistically portrayed with the inclusion of an admired Buddhist monk (Loku Hamuduruwo), an authentic music teacher (Master), a multi-talented youngster (Sara), and many other impactful characters. The incessant  struggle to survive amidst multiple challenges with both positives and negatives of human behaviour is impactfully included. 

  The constructive forces represented by the Buddhist monk and the Master (music teacher), and the destructive forces represented by the Liquor Seller (Kukula Mudalali),  and rural politician (Pradeshiya Manthree) are in an ongoing clash. The bitter (perhaps a bit abrupt) ending was due to the corrupt involvement of a powerful minister who is also the leader of the district where this village belongs.

 In the process of guiding the four youngsters, the Loku Hamuduruwo gives each one of them an exercise book and a pen asking them to do an assessment of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats regarding them. The script writer has skillfully articulated the value of a comprehensive SWOT analysis which could be the basis of progressive growth. Though the four youngsters in focus were branded as “kassipu karayos” (illicit liquor dealers), their hidden potential in drama, arts and entrepreneurship started to blossom, thanks to the timely guidance.

 One memorable musing is about launching the DBA program at PIM, where I am the coordinator. “There’s no shortage of remarkable ideas, what’s missing is the will to execute them,” said Seth Godin, an entrepreneur, management thinker, and a popular author. In the MBA world, we have the catchy phrase, “do not just do an MBA, be brilliant as an MBA.” We can logically extend the same for a well-designed and well-delivered DBA as well. May the country benefit with properly educated leaders who take evidence-based and data-driven decisions, rather than being naively emotive.

 The specially selected all 30 musings would appeal one way or the other to insightful thinking leading to involved actions. The numerous encouraging feedback I received through email, about the columns in the Daily FT was an inspiration for me to compile them once again as a collection.  

 Way forward

 "All human wisdom is contained in these two words, 'Wait and Hope'". That is how Alexandre Dumas (The Count of Monte Cristo) expressed a profound human nature. I attempted through Management Musings, to offer the reader an assortment of serine sharing towards meaningfully engaging the precious human resources with care and clarity. 

 It is a matter of envisioning the future and endeavouring to make it a reality. The twin challenges of employee wellbeing and enterprise progress can be balanced by ensuring humane results. With clarity on purpose and commitment in action, we should strive for excellence as essence. My humble invitation to all the readers is to embark on that enriching journey of excellence.

(The author, a Senior Professor in Management, and an Independent Non-Executive Director, can be reached at [email protected], [email protected] or  www.ajanthadharmasiri.info.)