Sirajuddin Aziz
Management is about putting into effective use all the available resources, from material to non-material; from tangible to intangible. Management is a skill learned and acquired. A closely related skill or characteristic is leadership, which in itself is both—sometimes bestowed by nature and, in many cases, acquired by individuals through experience and application. Management is also about the ability to listen with keen and rapt attention to dissenting or differing views.
Two similar organisations, having access to the same markets with almost identical profiles of finance and human resources, may produce different results. Why? What is that distinguishing or distinctive factor that differentiates performance? The simplest answer is ‘management coupled with leadership’. Leadership must essentially possess that trait or skill called ‘management’. Without this skill, there is no concept of leadership.
The world of business has moved on from the classical definition of management of the past, where the fundamental principle was ‘getting work done through people’, to ‘getting people done through work’. This is a paradigm shift of thought, where the emphasis and reliance is placed on the quality of human resources, which eventually either advances the organisation or jeopardises its current and future status.
In leading and managing institutions (read ‘country’, as an alternative too), the significant alteration in thought has to be the recognition that assembling the ‘right’ human resources quotient is critically important for progress, growth, and development. A stagnant human resource will invariably lead to the decay of the organisation.
Management skill requires the ability to choose the right move from a basket of alternatives. All other ingredients, classified as factors of production, take a back seat to the paramount, domineering skill and ability to ‘manage’.
Living in the era of the knowledge economy, no organisation or country can afford to ignore the induction and inculcation of the best management practices into the economy and society. These best practices must cover both financial and non-financial prudence, coupled adequately with a strong emphasis on maintaining the highest and noblest code of governance and ethics.
Governance, regrettably, is often viewed within a very narrow corridor of application. It is not restricted to entities and government; it is equally important to the behavioural standards of individuals in a society. At the end of the day, it is human resource management that becomes the pivot upon which the entire edifice of the organisation rests. Any lapses in the management of human resources can lead to serious outcomes in terms of finding and remaining relevant to the market, or in extreme cases, mere survival.
Another term for management is the decision-making trait. This is the imperative skill that all managers must possess in adequate measure. As stated, management is choosing between alternatives—the act of choosing is decision-making. This is one trait that cannot or should not be absent in the managerial cadre of a nation or organisation.
The lack of resolution in times of distress and challenge exacerbates the growth of difficult issues, which, only by virtue of timely reaction, can either be mitigated or shaped to one’s advantage. Decisiveness is a quality that all management must exhibit in both resolve and action.
Management is decision-making, without doubt; planning is the courage to implement; control is exercised without breathing down colleagues’ necks, and directing is done without the temptation to hold the reins or wheels in one’s own hands instead of those of professional team members. Only those confident in their own skills will have the courage to allow the growth of management competence across the hierarchy, rather than restricting it to a few individuals.
Management fearlessness should not be confused with the sense of adventurism that we (management) all possess. While bold and courageous decision-making is essential, to offer oneself as a meal by walking into a lion’s den is an act of foolish adventurism. No lion is herbivorous, nor are the markets!
People who work together in an entity, or even a country, are collectively called management. Every individual is therefore part of management. Those who refer to management more in criticism than in praise are often pointing fingers in the wrong direction—they are part of management themselves. The setup called ‘management’ is not someone else or something different from the people who constitute the entity or nation. The only point of distinction for each unit of energy in the hierarchy is the different levels of authority, responsibility, and accountability.
Best management practices demand giving direction to the workforce with corporate objectives in view, rather than being guided by populous moves or motives. Management run on equity and justice is appreciated by all constituents, even at a cost to themselves.
All individuals in an entity, organisation, or country are management. So next time someone points a finger at ‘management’ to criticise, it is best to remember that you are the management. If you (we) let ourselves down, we give impetus to a wholesale management collapse.
The economic growth of newly industrialised countries is a ‘miracle of management practices’. While China, Korea, Japan, and Malaysia were blessed with adequate natural endowments, Singapore and Taiwan had none. So how did they succeed? Singapore did not even have its own drinking water resources—the taps were across the border in Malaysia. What quality did Lee Kuan Yew possess that made the difference between developing countries and Singapore? A single word describes his skill: “Management.” His leadership style was based on collecting the best resources and deploying them for effective economic utilisation. With no inclusive raw materials to rely upon, the country today is a powerhouse, sitting on foreign exchange reserves exceeding US$400 billion. Management is today synonymous with the growth and development of Singapore.
Pakistan has all the resources—material and non-material, tangible and intangible, including an army of youth. The only thing needed is the management to harness these resources—and that management is you and me—not just the isolated leaders, sitting in the lap of the calm and beautiful Margalla Hills. Let us resolve to do our bit of management!
The writer is a Senior Banker & Freelance Columnist.
