Now that you’ve joined the ranks of those who manage let’s consider the issues that will help you develop some managing principles and a system of thought—a philosophy of managing. Without a guiding philosophy, your thinking will have to begin at the bottom of the learning curve for every issue that arises. You can’t simply afford to restart the engine every time a major issue arises. You need to develop some operational philosophy that will guide you through the maze of decision-making processes. The real world of the entry-level manager is quite different from that presented in the academic or business press. The quick fixes presented by the management gurus to executive-level managers do not lead to management utopia. You’re dealing with people who bring all their uniqueness to the workplace, and their skills and abilities must somehow be integrated to meet the organization’s purposes.

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Management as a practice is part of ancient history, but management as a discipline is a mid-twentieth century invention. A review of the literature will find many descriptions for the activity we call management. The word management used as an impersonal inclusion of some unidentified body of decision makers has no meaning. Managers are part of management and thus responsible for results through managing. Management also includes a body of knowledge and is a discipline that has theories, although they are not governed by the laws of science.

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From my personal experience and observations I suggest that you cannot manage people—you manage their activities and through that process help them become effective contributors to meeting the organization’s objectives. Managing people implies some level of command and control—do what I tell you to do, the way I want it done, and within the time that I think it should be done. Of course there are many levels of command and control, but its use should be limited to crises that require making a decision without the opportunity for seeking input from others. In contrast, managing activities means that managers look at results and how they were achieved. They balance freedom and control to the extent required. They provide opportunities for independent action within appropriate limits.
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