Management

What is management, and why is it so hard to do it well?

‘What is management?’ This is a typical western question because it needs a definition to this core word – ‘management’. This is very simple word which everyone may give it their own thoughts, however, this also is a complicated word because you can never get a veracious definition. Oxford dictionary give a definition of management – ‘the process of dealing with or controlling things or people’. It is easy to understand, but it is a little bit abstract because the definition does not state that the method of ‘dealing with or controlling things or people’ and the definition of ‘things’ and ‘people’. Zhang Weijun (2013: 25) presented a colorful metaphor “management is like a water conservancy, we should manage in the direction the water propelled us.” This metaphor is a derivative of theory of ‘TIAN REN HE YI (the union between man and nature)’ (Zhuangzhou, 1954). According to the theory, ancient Chinese philosophers summed up an interesting conclusion which is ‘govern by doing nothing that goes against nature’. However, this theory is gradually replacing by western management theory. Frederick Winslow Taylor (2001) define the management can be summarized in one sentence is manager should exactly know what you want others to do, and make sure that he use the best way to accomplish. The most different between eastern and western management philosophy is the position of mangers. In the eastern theory, managers just are factors of management structure and do not have the capability to change the institution. However, in the western theory, managers are not just factors of management structure, it also is a main element which may influence and create new ‘rules of the game’.

What is the key element for management? Henri Fayol (2001) put forward five main element of management – ‘prevoyance, organization, command, coordination and control’. Prevoyance is like intuition help human to sense danger in advance. It...