4.4 What do we believe management provides?

What role does management play in shaping an organization s future? Beyond task assignments, many of us assume management operates as an orchestra leader. In reality, this may be more myth than practice. We like to believe a Company s management behaves this way, carefully shaping the output of the Company through the masterful management of the resources and talents of the individuals involved.

The management team, a collection of savvy, experienced managers who represent the organization s different functions and areas of expertise. All too often, teams in business tend to spend their time fighting for turn, avoiding anything that will make them look bad personally, and pretending that everyone is behind the team s collective strategy maintaining the appearance of a cohesive team (Senge, 1990). They may present the public image of solidarity, but in reality are in deadly competition with each other for their own corporate survival.

If management is focused on turf wars, who is translating strategic initiatives into direct action? Who is moving the organization forward? The image of a ship moving across the water with the crew running around on the deck comes to mind. Management competition to climb the corporate ladder is natural. Competition is to be expected as there are fewer positions as one advances in the company. However, redirecting this energy into productive avenues may be what separates excellently run companies from the rest. The management competition needs to be to the benefit of the Company and...