Headline, September15, 2013

''' !!! MOVE SOCIETY --- HAVE SOME

 IMPACT !!! '''

! Time to smash the Silos !  : ''Most MBA programs still teach through the prism of specific subjects such as finance or marketing. But that's No way to learn,'' says Mintzberg.  ''The MBA is fine for training.'' he says. ''But the concept of teaching specific skills in finance or marketing does not help with the real-life decisions that people make in the business world each and every day.''

The IMPM, in contrast, uses holistic mind-sets such as ''reflective''  and ''analytic'' to connect the dots. And since many of the IMPM students are now in general management roles, that's where they should stay. Says Mintzberg : ''Why would you want to push them back into the silo?''  

The Professor takes some real open-mindedness to his research on strategy. ''I often think that if we get rid of the word  'strategy,' we'd be better off. Not because strategy is bad, but because we formalize it. Strategy planning is an oxymoron. The idea that it is immaculately conceived, like Moses walking down the mountain, is silly.''

Now that the  IMPM  was established, Mintzberg moved on. He then stepped down as the program's chairman. Gosling took over his role but Mintzberg never abandoned  the cause. Instead, he went about to  ''diffuse'' the concept to other sectors. He set about writing a book called  Developing Managers, Not MBAs, about management and about the theory and practice of the  IMPM. Already there was an IMPM for Canadians in the volunteer sector, and plans for a health-care IMPM were under way.

And the day after the awards luncheon in Toronto, Mintzberg and his team met with executive development heads from nine companies to sell them on Mintzberg's latest concept   -ALP, the Advanced Leadership Program. It's an IMPM for very senior managers. If all that isn't enough, there's the rest of the civilization to think about. Also written on Mintzberg's locked-up sheet of paper are the words: ''Move Society -- have some impact.''

So, Mintzberg began sketching beyond management with  a new book, tentatively titled,  Getting Past Smith and Mars: Towards a Balanced Society. He thought the structure of current political and social dialogue had been corrupted by the twin tyrannies of shareholder value and rampant consumerism.

The success of the IMPM suggests that after years of MBA bashing from the Canadian wilderness, the world may finally be moving toward Mintzberg's point of view. Traditional MBA programs are now trying to bring out the more emotional, thoughtful side of management. Companies everywhere, desperate for more effective leadership, are working with their executives to develop more robust approaches to managing, rather than simply sending them off to cookie-cutter executive education programs.

''It was extraordinary at the Academy of Management this year to hear so many people saying the same thing as Henry's been saying for years,'' notes Gosling.

And yet, while that's happy news for Mintzberg, it's obvious that part of him relishes the role of the renegade, the naysayer, the lonely voice on the fringe.     

''I've always been a cynic about things that are too popular and too widely believed,'' he frets, peering  intently over round, metal-framed glasses. Indeed, Mintzberg says that he does his most creative thinking when he's involved in some type of solitary physical activity, whether it be canoeing, cross-country skiing, or bicycling. Back in 1987, when he was finishing an bike-trip from a Paris to the Charles de Gaulle Airport, he was loaded down with gear and luggage. 

As he approached the Champs Elysees, Mintzberg saw a phalanx of police officers guarding a bizarrely empty avenue. He asked what was going on, but no one responded, so Mintzberg slipped past a barrier for a bit of experiential learning. He rode down the along, wide avenue until he was spotted by a slack-jawed policeman at the end of the street.

It turned out that the Canadian Professor had nearly managed to become the first cyclist to ride along the Champs-Elysee as the Tour de France came to a close. It's not a bad metaphor for his career:

One of the most original minds in management, charting his own course, being chased by others, who are pedaling furiously and who get to the same spot as Mintzberg     -only, only much much later.

With respectful dedication to the Students, Professors ans Teachers of Oman. See ya all on the World Students Society Computers-Internet-Wireless : '' !! Extraordinary Work !! ''

Good Night & God Bless!

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless