A Management System Exempt from Power: Learning to Manage with Consideration for Others

170 Pages·2006·1.013 MB·English

by  Christian Bourion (auth.)

AManagement System Exempt from Power
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A Management System
Exempt from Power
Learning to Manage with
Consideration for Others
Christian Bourion
Translated byNathalie Bazzi
©Christian Bourion 2006
SoftCover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2006 978-0-230-00218-0
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First published 2001 in France by Editions ESKA
This edition published 2006 by
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ISBN 978-1-349-28052-0 ISBN 978-0-230-80078-6 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9780230800786
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10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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Although power was the main organizational issue at stake until
recently,it has become the manager’s worst enemy, an old and obso-
lete tool and a source of unfairness which creates hatred. Power is
the surviving evidence of a bygone age. A management system
exempt from power has become the new organizational paradigm,
particularly with the increasing number of knowledge workers,
whose objectives are to produce ideas rather than obedience.
A Management System Exempt from Power suggests a method for
increasing and improving this know-how. It is intended for each of
us and is about our means to develop the three values of local
management – efficiency, empathy and imagination.
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Contents
List of Figures,Pyramids and Tables ix
List of Questionnaires xi
Foreword:Managing without Power xiii
1 Management and Power:Rivals 1
Rational power and scientificmanagement 2
Hierarchical power and military management 3
Identity power and corporate culture 4
The weakening of power and participative management 6
The end of power and the development of cooperative
management 7
The turnaround of power:be less demanding,be self-demanding 8
Develop your skills through self-knowledge 10
Develop your skills through self-management 11
Develop your skills through emotional intelligence 12
Back to skill-based management,exempt from power 13
Abrief overview of Chapter 1 15
2 Expertise:Your First Skill 16
Rational values 16
The expert’s approach 31
Memorandums and emails:technical information 33
Policies and procedures 37
Abrief overview of Chapter 2 39
3 Develop Empathy:Your Second Essential Skill 41
Social values 41
The social executive’sapproach 51
The doting father approach 53
The Stockholm syndrome 62
Abrief overview of Chapter 3 66
vii
Contents
viii
4 Fulfil your Creative Genius! 67
Emotional and creative values 67
The project developer’s approach 74
The business lunch 80
Charm 82
Forecasting 85
Threats 89
Abrief overview of Chapter 4 89
5 Solving Problems without Creating New Ones 91
The professional’s approach 91
The manager’s approach 94
The interview 96
The meeting 101
Negotiation 104
Abrief overview of Chapter 5 105
6 Value Conflicts:An Indication of Progress 107
Distance and closeness 107
Flexible and uncompromising attitudes 110
Domineering and permissive attitudes 113
Excessiverigor:acrutch 116
Is egalitarianism a source of unfairness? 118
Is tolerance synonymous with weakness or strength? 120
The barrier between the internal and external environment 122
Discover what is right,not who is right 123
Abrief overview of Chapter 6 124
Epilogue Local Management:Surfing between
Communication and Power 126
From communication mediums to management tools 126
From management tools to power tools 128
Notes 130
Chronological Bibliography 138
List of Figures, Pyramids and Tables
Figures
1.1 Change in total rate of trade union membership since the liberation 9
2.1 The lifecycle of a problem 22
6.1 Optimum psychological distance and efficiency 115
Pyramids
1 Organizational power 15
2 In search of efficiency 39
3 Empathy,regardless of efficiency 66
4 Innovating without empathy 89
5 Integrating efficiency,empathy and imagination 105
6 Value conflicts 124
Tables
0.1 Management and power xiv
2.1 The efficient/inefficient continuum 21
2.2 The expert’s preferred methods 32
3.1 Reciprocal emotional output 43
3.2 Valences and fellow feelings 45
3.3 The four reputations of the manager 45
3.4 Classification of emotional appreciations 46
3.5 The doting father’s methods to solve problems 54
4.1 The project developer’spreferred mediums 76
4.2 Decisions – events – results 87
ix