实践型经理人的培养-明茨伯格(1)

TheEducationofPracticingManagers1TheEducationofPracticingManagersbyHenryMintzbergandJonathanGoslingMostseriousmanagementeducationtakesplaceinMBAprograms,whichareremarkablystandardizedincontent–acrossschoolsandaroundtheworld.YettheMBAismoreBthanA:itisaboutthefunctionsofbusiness,morethanthepracticeofmanaging.Inthenameofdevelopinggeneralmanagers,therefore,ittendstotrainstaffspecialists.Nowondersomanyofitsgraduates–oftenover60%fromthemostprestigiousAmericanschools–haveformanyyearsgoneintoconsultingandinvestmentbanking.Educationateveryleveldividessubjectmatterintosharpcategories,definedbyhowtheknowledgehasbeencreated,nothowitisused.Specialistseachpromotetheirownviewoftheworld.InMBAprograms,studentsgetthewordonshareholdervalueinfinance,onempowermentinorganizationalbehavior,oncustomerserviceinmarketing.Somehowtheyaresupposedtoputthisalltogether.Theyneverdo.Thatisbecausemanagementisnotadiscipline,norascience,noraprofession.Managementisapracticeithastobeappreciatedthroughexperience,incontext.Managementmayusescience,butitisanart,whichitcombineswithsciencethroughcraft.Inotherwords,managershavetofaceissuesinthefullcomplexityofliving,notascompartmentalizedpackagesoflife.Knowledgemaybeimportant,butwisdomthecapacitytocombineknowledgeanduseitjudiciouslyiskey.Thisisnottodenytheroleofformaleducationinmanagementdevelopment.Businessschoolshaveimportantthingstoteachaboutmanaging.Butbecausetheyteachinwaystheygenerallydo–theymissoutongreatopportunitiesforcreativelearningsuitedtopracticingmanagers.TheEducationofPracticingManagers2Henceweconcludethatitistimetoreconsidertheveryideaofmanagementeducation,specificallythedesignofdegreeprogramsforpracticingmanagers.Businessschoolspridethemselvesontheirteachingofnewproductdevelopmentandstrategy.YettheirlastmajornewdegreeprogramwastheMBA,introducedin1908,andthatprogramlastunderwentatruestrategicre-orientationasaconsequenceoftworeportspublishedin19591Someyearsago,wejoinedforceswithcolleaguesfromCanada,England,France,India,andJapantodevelopawhollynewperspectiveonmanagementeducationcombinedwithmanagementdevelopment.Wesetasidemanyofthecherishedbeliefsandcreatedadifferentconceptintheirplace.Wedescribetheresultshere,firstasetoffoundationsthatformthebase,andthenafamilyofprogramsthathavebroughtthistolifeovertheprecedingfiveyears.FoundationsforManagementEducationSevenbasicpointsestablishthefoundationsonwhichwebelievetrueeducationformanagementshouldbebuilt.1.Managementeducationshouldberestrictedtopracticingmanagers,selectedonthebasisoftheirdemonstratedperformance.Managerscannotbecreatedinaclassroom.Thepracticecanbeenhancedthere,butnotestablished.Effortstodosototeachmanagementdisassociatedfromcontextandexperiencetrivializetheeducation,mostcommonlybyreducingittoanalysis.Layingtheeducationalexperienceoverdeep-rootedexperience,however,turnstheclassroomintoaricharenaforlearning.Classroomtheoriesandmodelsarelikemapsoftheworld,whilecasesarelikemapsandtravelers’tales.Theyallmakesomuchmore1GordonandHowell,Piersonetal.TheEducationofPracticingManagers3sense–andtheirlimitsbecomeobvious–onceonehasbeentotheterritorytheydescribe.Managerialexperienceprovidestheappropriatebasicsforselection.Certainlymanagersmustbeintelligent,andtestscoresandessayquestionsdoprovideonebasisformeasuringthatintelligence.Butdemonstratedperformanceonthejobprovidesafarmoreeffectiveone.Italsoprovidesafarmoreappropriateoneforasocietyconcernedwithitsleadership.MBAprogramsrelyinitiallyonself-selection:thecandidateschoosetoapply,andtheschoolsselectfromthatpool.Thisputsthoseselectedona“fasttrack”towardpositionsofleadership.Mightitnotmakemoresensetodothistheotherwayaround:toletexperiencespeakaboutleadershipandthendevelopthosewhoseperformancespeaksmostclearly.Inotherwords,letpeopleprovethemselvesbygettingintoandthenwithinmanagerialjobs,andthenhavethosewhocanbestassesstheirperformancemaketheselection–namelyseniorpeopleintheirownorganizations.Thismaynotbeaperfectselectionprocess,butitcertainlyseemssuperiortotheself-selectionandtest-selectionoftheMBAprograms.2.Thesemanagersshouldstayonthejob,sothattheycanweavetheeducationthroughtheirpractice.Itmakeslittlesensetoselectpeoplesteepedinpracticeandthenripthemoutofthatpracticeforthepurposesofeducatingthem.Rathertheirexperienceshouldbewoventhroughtheeducationalexperience.Thinkofhowmeaningfultheeducationcanbewhentheirownorganizationssupportthemanagersthroughthedevelopmentalexperienceandwelcomethembackfromit.This,ofcourse,provokesatension,ofhavingtodoajobandgeteducatedatthesametime.Butasweshalldiscussinourconclusion,thisisoneofseveraltensionsintrinsictoallrealmanagementeducation:itneedstobefacedratherthanavoided.Toomuchtimeawayfromthejobcanbestressful,buttoolittletimeawayfromitcanunderminethequalitiesoftheeducation.Shortcourses,likestokelights,mayleavenothingbehind,whilemonthsoffthejobmaymeannojobtoreturnto.TheEducationofPracticingManagers43.Managementeducationcanthenleverageworkandlifeexperienceasfullyaspossible.Theoryisimportantandcasesareuseful.Butlearningbecomesmostpowerfulwhenitconnectsthesetotheexp