Schooled to oversee fixed, almost unvarying routines, managers
today are unprepared to manage the conflicts in modern work flow
relationships. The demand for more and quicker responsiveness to
customers, market, product, and process changes means there are few
"routine" technologies left to manage. The modern line manager,
according to Sayles, must be a "working leader," managing work flow
relationships on the boundaries between jobs, functions,
departments; making things "work" through trade-offs with superiors
and peers. The working leader has an agenda, knows the system
inside out, is comfortable with fluidity, and recognizes that the
parts do not always fit into an integrated whole.
The recent emphasis on "core competencies" and "operating
capabilities" as keys to competitive advantage represents a radical
shift away from the presumption that business leadership is
primarily about strategic decisions. Corporate success, Sayles
insists, now depends upon execution, implementation, and expertise.
In the past managers presumed that work systems were programmed to
be efficient; now astute managers recognize that extraordinary
efforts are required to attain and maintain effective
operations.
Sayles shows with vivid case studies how middle managers with
an in-depth understanding of the organization can resolve the
inherent contradictions and ambiguities among design, sales, and
manufacturing. He also shows that while many companies are
instilling "customer consciousness" and "quality consciousness" as
compartmentalized activities, "effective" management of work
systems automatically leads to high performance in quality,
efficiency, and service. By facilitating high performance, hands on
working leaders can increase the sense of responsibility and
motivation of subordinates. Finding solutions to inconsistencies
and dilemmas in work systems forces managers to become real
leaders. Checking the interfaces and making modifications where
necessary -- managing on the boundaries -- are core competencies
for the working leader.
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