Submitted by: Submitted by williepeden
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Category: Business and Industry
Date Submitted: 05/27/2011 02:54 AM
University of Strathclyde
MBA
International
Managing
Management theory, practice and learning
Abu Dhabi, Group 8
Sahar Faisal- 200962609
Zaher
William Peden - 200965241
Beverly Deets - 200871547
Hasam
Management theory, practice and learning
A recent Google search identified 87 important business writers and theorists who have made some significant level of contribution to the operation and management of modern organisations. As managers we are being invited and encouraged to embrace the wisdom of these business leaders and expand our repertoire of trade tools. The challenge for us is not to memorize all the theories and apply them prescriptively, but to understand our own filters and bias’s, the culture in which we operate and learn how and when to adopt and apply the wisdom extracted from this body of research. Wise men learn from the success and failures of others. Theories can be the culmination of decades of research and experiences of a multitude of practitioners – why would we ignore them?
Every conversation, interaction, classroom activity, mistakes we make, newspaper and books we read, movie we watch ... are part of our continual growth process. And the content of these learning opportunities evolve, conflict, clash, criticise, makes fun of and supports previous learning. This same tension exists within management theory. And as self aware Managers, we recognize the affect of our feelings, thinking and behaving in situations and accept that we have been given the gift of choice. (The Learning Manager – Module 2)
The majority of the theories are built on western principles and values adding further complexity when trying to apply them in other cultures. Performance Management, a tool used to enhance employee performance, has marginal success in Middle Eastern cultures where the provision of negative (or alternatively, constructive) feedback is frowned upon at best, and not done at all in many environments. Best...