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22 (very necessary) abstractions and simplifications.

The p arad o x o f a d d r e s s in g c o m p le x ity w h i l s t p ro d u c in g Tb l i s s f u l c l a r i t y 1, c o n s tr u c ts a n e x tre m e ly p e r n ic io u s a re n a w ith in w hich to p e rfo rm th e awesome t a s k o f m anagem ent. The pro b lem s o f t h i s a re n a a r e i l l u s t r a t e d i n th e fo llo w in g p ie c e o f m a t e r i a l from W enslow

M a n u fa c tu rin g Co. T h is exam ple d e m o n s tra te s some o f th e d i f f i c u l t i e s , by i n d i c a t i n g th e way i n w hich any a tte m p t t o a d d r e s s th e c o m p le x itie s o f o r g a n i s a ti o n a l l i f e i s (a s p a r t o f th e b lo c k in g p r o c e s s ) d e fin e d a s , ’n o t b e in g a r e s p o n s ib le m a n a g e r.1

The m a t e r i a l i s an a c c o u n t g iv e n by a M anager who had r e c e n t l y a tte n d e d a b i-m o n th ly M an ag ers1 m e e tin g . F .H .J . i s th e I n d u s t r i a l R e la tio n s D i r e c t o r , D .J .S . i s th e M anaging D i r e c t o r .

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SCENARIO

You m ig h t n o t b e lie v e t h i s , b u t y o u 111 f in d i t i n t e r e s t i n g . . . F o r C h r i s t ’ s sak e n e v e r t e l l anyone who1s t o l d you . . . • • • b u t • • • • • d u rin g th e m e e tin g w e’d had F .H .J." • • • • a r i g h t p erfo rm an ce t h a t was • • • • r e p o r t i n g on th e s t r i k e r e s u l t s • • • • r e a l l y b lo o d y c h i l d i s h i t w a s h o l i e r th a n th o u . . . how we won th e w ar b ecau se we w ere th e g o o d ie s . . . p a t h e t i c . . . . anyw ay, a t th e end o f th e m e e tin g D .J .S . g e ts up and a s k s ‘a l l n on-m anagers t o le a v e . . . th e r e w ere one o r two d e p u tie s th e r e • • • a s k s ' them a l l t o le a v e • • • • • ’w hat now1 - we s t a r t e d ex ch an g in g lo o k s? Then D .J .S . la u n c h e s i n t o a w e ll I d o n ’t know w h eth er y o u ’ d c a l l i t a p le a o r a l e c t u r e . . . . he was c e r t a i n l y v e ry a n g ry u n d e rn e a th . H is h an d s w ere sh a k in g a lth o u g h he d id n ’t sh o u t • • • • he spoke v e ry q u i e t l y . • • a b o u t how h e ' s h e a rd so much b a c k - b itin g and c r i t i c i s m o f l a t e t h a t h e ’ s s ic k to d e a th o f i t • • • . management i s d i f f i c u l t enough w ith o u t a l l t h i s c r i t i c i s m .

i n i u t u r e m anagers w i l l benave liK e r e s p o n s ib le m e n th e r e w i l l be- no more c r i t i c i s m • • • • • y e s , he a c t u a l l y s a id t h a t - ’th e r e w i l l be no m ore c r i t i c i s m . ’ ... by m anagers a b o u t m an a g e rs, and by m anagers a b o u t him !

I f i t h a d n ’t b een so d e a d ly s e r io u s I ’d have p is s e d m y se lf • • . • •

I n issu in g t h i s d i r e c t i v e o f ’no m ore c r i t i c i s m ’ , th e M anaging D ir e c to r seem s to a ssu m e th a t he h a s o n ly to is s u e a command and i t w i l l be

obeyed - a k in d o f D alek M anagement a s i t w as d e s c r ib e d by one m anager! H is a u t h o r i t a r i a n in v e c tiv e p e rh a p s s u g g e s ts t h a t he h im s e lf h a s

d i f f i c u l t y i n a d d r e s s in g th e c o m p le x itie s o f m an ag in g , and h i s c o n seq u e n t em p h asis upon s i m p l i f i c a t i o n (by d e f in in g c r i t i c i s m a s u n n e c e s s a ry ) r e i n f o r c e s th e s t r u c t u r e o f d o m in a tio n by d e m o n s tra tin g t h a t th e n a tu r e o f t h i s s t r u c t u r e i s in d e e d a command s t r u c t u r e . The u n d e r lin in g o f th e h ie r a r c h y o f command (c o n firm in g th e a b s o lu te and i l l u s t r a t i n g th e n e c e s s i ty o f th e c o n s id e r a tio n o f subm erged f a c t o r s su ch a s th e m a n if e s ta tio n s o f th e power o f th e s ta tu s - q u o f o r any co m p reh en siv e a p p ro a c h t o th e stu d y ' o f power i n o r g a n is a tio n s ) th e r e b y m akes th e a d d r e s s in g o f c o m p le x ity ev en m o r e 'd i f f i c u l t f o r o th e r

M anagers who a r e a l s o t r y i n g to cope w ith th e p a ra d o x .

’You e i t h e r k eep q u i e t and go a lo n g w ith i t , o r you le a v e - go e lse w h e re ... o f c o u rse you c o u ld make i t know nhow you f e e l i f - you w an t t o commit s u i c i d e ’ .

(M anager a t Wenslow M a n u fa c tu rin g C o .)

T h is d i f f i c u l t y o f o b ey in g th e c h ie f i n th e l i g h t o f h i s so o b v io u s ly s i m p l i s t i c in v e c tiv e i s i l l u s t r a t e d by th e way i n w h ich th e M anager g iv in g th e a c c o u n t u s e s humour ( a g a in ! ) t o d i f f u s e th e s e r io u s n e s s o f

th e M anaging D i r e c t o r 's pronouncem ent* Y et t h e M anaging D ir e c to r h a s . t o be obeyed and t h e r e f o r e anyone who d o es n o t com ply (b e in g to o r e a l i s t i c ) i s c a s t i g a t e d ( g e n e r a lly r e s u l t i n g i n d e p a r t u r e ! ) .

The b lo c k in g o f a c c e s s t o a l t e r n a t i v e v iew s i s , t h u s , r e i n f o r c e d by d e f in in g a n y th in g w hich d o es n o t s u b s c r ib e i n e f f e c t to th e m yth o f d o m in a tio n , a s n o t b e in g r e s p o n s ib le m anagem ent. W ould-be

p h ilo s o p h e rs am ongst men o f a c ti o n a r e d e fin e d a s s u b v e r s iv e , and a s a p a r t o f a l l th e s im i la r p ro b lem s w hich s t i l l rem a in an d a r e e q u a lly d e fin e d a s s u b v e rs iv e - i n d i s c i p l i n e , a p a th y , i n d u s t r i a l c o n f l i c t , low m o ra le , i n d u s t r i a l dem ocracy p r e s s u r e s e t c . The e x is te n c e o f

p7

su ch p ro b lem s i s s e e n (by D .J .S . e t a l ) a s i n d i c a t i v e o f th e i m p o s s i b i l i t y o f th e jo b o f b e in g a m an ag er. The p ro b lem s a r e se e n a s u n s o lv a b le , ev en u n a p p ro a c h a b le , and t h e r e i s a s tr o n g s e n se i n w hich any M anager who j u s t i f i e s h i s a c ti o n s a s b e in g m ore r e a l i s t i c i n

a tte m p tin g t o 'e s t a b l i s h b l i s s f u l c l a r i t y * i s r e g a rd e d ( a t b e s t) a s b e ir g i d e a l i s t i c .

' " I u n d e rs ta n d ," he s a i d . "You sp eak o f th e c i t y whose f o u n d a tio n we have been d e s c r ib in g , w hich h a s i t s b e in g i n w o rd s; f o r t h e r e i s no

s p o t on e a r t h , I im a g in e , w here i t e x i s t s . " "N o," I s a i d , " b u t p e rh a p s i t i s l a i d up i n h eav en a s a p a t t e r n f o r him who w i l l s to s e e , an d s e e in g , t o fo u n d a c i t y i n h im s e lf . W hether i t e x i s t s anyw here o r e v e r w i l l e x i s t , i s no m a t te r . H is co n d u ct w i l l be a n e x p r e s s io n o f th e law s o f t h a t c i t y a lo n e , and o f no o t h e r ." "T h a t i s l i k e l y , en o u g h ," he s a i d . ' ( P la t o , The R e p u b lic )

The u n e a se c r e a te d i n t h i s s i t u a t i o n f o r some m an ag ers i s i l l u s t r a t e d by s ta te m e n ts i n d i c a t i n g , som etim es vague d i s s a t i s f a c t i o n su ch a s ,

' . . . You know I r e a l l y u se d to e n jo y com ing to w o r k lo o k fo rw a rd t o i t ... b u t now • • • • • I c o u ld c h e e r f u lly d r iv e s t r a i g h t p a s t th e e n tr a n c e i n a m orning . . . and spend th e day i n th e h i l l s . . . * , and som etim es more d i r e c t l y su ch a s , ’ . . . I no lo n g e r f e e l

I t h a t I c an m anage i n t h i s s i t u a t i o n n o m ore th a n t h a t

I d o n ’t w ant t o • • • • • i t ’ s a s th o u g h ... i t j u s t d o e s n ’t

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