5 Managing on Tightropes
The inescapable conundrums of managing
Managing is rife with conundrums. Every way a manager turns, there seems to be some paradox or enigma lurking. Think of these as tightropes on which every manager must walk. “It is precisely the function of the executive … to reconcile conflicting forces, instincts, interests, conditions, positions and ideals” (Barnard 1938:21). Notice the use of the word reconcile, not resolve. This chapter discusses various conundrums at the heart of managing, with some suggestions for reconciliation.
THE SYNDROME OF SUPERFICIALITY
This is perhaps the most basic of all the conundrums of managing, the plague of every manager. How to get in deep when there is so much pressure to get it done? As I ...
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