Henry Mintzberg - Managing

MANAGING

HENRY MINTZBERG

Managing

Copyright 2009 by Henry Mintzberg
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First Edition
Hardcover print edition ISBN 978-1-57675-340-8
PDF e-book ISBN 978-1-57675-895-3
IDPF e-book ISBN 978-1-60509-532-5

2012-2

Production management by Michael Bass Associates.

This edition is for sale in the western hemisphere, Australia, and New Zealand. In Europe, Africa, and Asia, this book is published by Prentice Hall/Financial Times imprint of Pearson Education Ltd., www.pearsoned.co.uk.

To all those
Saa first of all
who manage with wisdom and respect.

In 1973 I published The Nature of Managerial Work, based on my doctoral dissertationa study of a week in the working lives of five chief executives. I claimed in the preface that, as a kid, I always wondered what my father, the president of a small manufacturing firm, did at the office. I found out some, but not enough.

So six years ago, thirty years later, I decided to revisit the subject, determined to find out what my wife, a manager in the world of telecommunications, did at the office. Not that I believed managing had changed; I changed, or at least I hope so. (Whoever reads both books can be the judge of what I learned over the years.)

This time I based the book on a day I had spent in the working lives of twenty-nine managers, of all kinds. So I must begin by thanking the twenty-nine people (named in a table a few pages forward) who opened up their jobs and their thoughts for this fly on the wall. You will become aware of their contribution to this book from beginning to end.

Many other people have contributed profoundly in other ways. My personal assistant these past ten years, Santa Balanca-Rodrigues, outdid herself on this one. At one point she was going flat-out, almost literally around the clock, to get the manuscript to the publisher. I am deeply indebted to her, as much as a friend with her wise and concerned counsel as for her direct contribution to the manuscript.

Gui Azevedo, my superresourceful research assistant, contributed in a number of ways (not least in cracking the nut of how to show the model of managing in called by the Amazon (river, not.com), Nathalie Tremblay stepped in to clean up the manuscript wonderfully well.

I ran the two trickiest chapters (4 and 6) past the members of our doctoral colloquium and received many helpful ideas. I want to single out Brian King, who provided a good deal of thoughtful comment. Jacinthe Tremblay also helped out on the conundrums of managing in .

I am blessed to have worked again on this book with people who continue to practice publishing in the old-fashioned way: with deep and respectful concern for the contents of their books and the thoughts of their authors. Steve Piersanti, who has created a very special operation at Berrett-Koehler in the United States, and Richard Stagg, who heads up a team of highly competent people in trade management at Pearson in the U.K., both offered much detailed input, especially in ways that have brought this book closer to its readers. Writers love words, or they wouldnt write. The trouble is that they love their own words best of all. At one point, I finally got the message of their words, and that turned this book around.

Both publishing houses also sent the book out to a number of reviewers who provided very useful feedback. I would like to mention especially Charlie Dorris, Jeff Kulick, Stefan Tengblad, and Linda Hill. Once again, Michael Bass and his team brought their considerable skills to production; my special thanks to Laura Larson for the copyediting.

Finally, a great big heartfelt thank you to the manager in my life. Saa, who knows all this far better than I do, was a constant source of subtle but for me Gee whiz! comments and contributed in so many other ways.

Henry Mintzberg
Montreal
May 2009

This book is written for everyone interested in the practice of managingmanagers themselves, people who work with managers (in selection, assessment, and development, etc.), and others who want to understand managing better (scholars, teachers, students, other nonmanagers). All have different needs, so let me offer some guidance.

Please note first that I have highlighted key sentences throughout this book in boldface, to serve as a running summary of its main points. (There are no summaries in the introduction or conclusion to each chapter; in my view, these boldface sentences do it more effectively and no less efficiently, by being embedded in the text that they summarize.) If you are one of those busy managers described in , or anyone else short of time, you can use these sentences to follow the thread of the argument, probing around the points you find of greatest interest.

The first two chapters of this book are its shortest and sharpest: they set the tone. The next two are longer and more involved, because they address the substance of managing, which is no simple matter. And the last two, of intermediate length, are more applied and in places more funat least for me to write and I hope for you to read. A few words on each follow.

: Managing Ahead This introduces the book and my view of managing. I suggest you read all of this.

: The Dynamics of Managing This should be easy readingor scanning, for that matter. You might wish to give special attention to the last section, on The Impact of the Internet (starting on page 34).