Is Art of Management Just Common Sense?

Is Art of Management Just Common Sense?

The idea that art of management is all just “common sense” is probably the most damaging of all the business myths. The statement is about as well based in fact as saying “being a fighter pilot is all reflexes.” Well yes, there is some truth to that. If two equally well trained pilots, with identical equipment go against each other, the pilot with the best reflexes will likely win but how do you get two equally well trained pilots? It is the amount and quality of training the pilot endured their ability to understand the training, their attention during the training, their creative interpretation of the training and their overall dedication to learning that determines how well they do as a pilot. Compared to all those things, the speed of their reflexes is a fairly minor issue.

The same is true of managers. Yes, managers have to make hundreds of decisions a day that they have little to no time to reflect upon and yes it is the quality of those decisions that will determine how good a manager he or she is. That being the case, however, it is the quality of preparations the manager takes to make those decisions that counts. If they rely on “common sense” their decisions will be based on many of the myths discussed throughout this book and not practiced, well thought out policies.

At a deeper level, it is even easier to see how damaging a belief in common sense management is. When it comes down to it, what is the job of every manager? It is to find a way to provide their firm a competitive advantage. They must help make sure that their company is the best at whatever it is they do.

The question therefore arise, how do you become the best at something. Many people answer by focusing on quality, hard work, intelligent analysis, having a more balanced approach or some combination or derivation of one of those answers. The truth is much simpler and more complex, however. You become the best at something by beating everyone else.

All the other answers may be techniques that one could use to try and beat their opponents but by focusing on the techniques many people lose sight of the ultimate goal. You are the best because you beat everybody else and are able to keep doing so.

By focusing on the competitive nature of business, it should become clearer how dangerous the concept of “common sense” management really is. If all a firms managers are using “common sense” management and so are the managers of their competing firms, then no one is gaining a competitive advantage and no one will be able to generate real profits.

It is the unique creativity that a manager brings to problems that separates one firm from another. The last thing in the world a firm wants is for those decisions to be “common.” Since creativity is involved, it is often the action that goes contrary to what most people consider “common sense” that is most successful.

Considering the art of management to be “common sense” is not just wrong, it is damaging to the firms that let it propagate. The obvious question then is why the myth is so common. The most likely explanation, in my opinion, is that it is a good excuse. If good management is careful preparation, continuous creative thinking, and ongoing study and review, then it is hard work. People trying to avoid some of that hard work or cover up their lack of preparation convince themselves, and try to convince others that good management is just “common sense”. That way they can avoid the constant study and hard work that good management really requires.

Cheers for Kongsi