Managing (Financial Times Series) [Hardcover]

Henry Mintzberg (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0273709305 | ISBN-13: 978-0273709305 | Publication Date: December 15, 2009

Shortlisted in the Practical Manager Category, CMI Management Book of the Year 2010, in association with the British Library. Perhaps the world's premier management thinker. - Tom Peters "One of the most original minds in management."Fast Company When it comes to management, Mintzberg's opinion matters: for thirty years he has been one of the foremost, and certainly one of the most radical, thinkers and writers on the subject." People Management Henry Mintzberg's views are a breath of fresh air which can only encourage the good guys." The Observer This is a book about managing, pure if not simple. Managing is important for anyone affected by its practice, which in our world of organizations means everyone. We need to understand it better, in order for it to be practiced better, and yet we have not yet come to grips with the central question of what it is that managers really do. Those befuddled by some or all of management - which hardly excludes managers themselves ~ should be able to reach for a book that provides lasting insights on the big questions. What are the essential dynamics, roles and conundrums of managing? Are leaders really more important than managers? And where has all the judgment gone? In Managing, Henry Mintzberg captures, in one place, the essence of managing. This landmark book will enable people to see the job all at once, and so be able to appreciate its components comprehensively, coherently, and interactively - as effective managers do. Engaging with management as a daily practice, it explains what it is that managers do, why they make a difference and how they become effective. Managing makes sense of the world's most important job Over the years I have asked many groups of managers what happened the day they became managers. First I get puzzled looks, and then shrugs. Nothing, they report. You are supposed to figure it out - like sex, I suppose usually with the same dire initial consequences. And from there, while we can find plenty of effective managers - if we can figure out what that means - we see a great deal of dysfunctional and often bizarre managerial behavior too. The costs are immense. Henry Mintzberg,Managing

Editorial Reviews

Review

WINNER CMI MANAGEMENT BOOK OF THE YEAR - IF YOU ONLY READ ONE MANAGEMENT TITLE THIS YEAR MAKE IT MANAGING BY HENRY MINTZBERG. "This is a great read: a work of rich description and insight rather than a theory of managing, and it will stand the test of time." Professor Nigel Nicholson, Management Today "[Mintzberg's] understanding of what good, socially useful management looks like leads him to make several clear statements of principle in his important new book." Stefan Stern, Financial Times "this is pretty much the perfect book on what can sometimes be a dull or repetitive subject. This title is neither, which alone is a startling accomplishment." thebookbag.co.uk " I'd suggest finding time to read this book". Richard Cree, Director " It tackles the most important issues of management practice head-on. It considers the intense variety of the job and shows how managers can become truly effective. It makes sense of what might, in the broadest sense, be the world's most important job." Business Executive, February 2010

About the Author

Henry Mintzberg is Cleghorn Professor of Management Studies at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. He was named Distinguished Scholar for the Year 2000 by the Academy of Management, and won its George R. Terry Award for the best book of 1995 (The Rise and Fall of Strategic Planning). Two of his articles in the Harvard Business Review have won McKinsey prizes. He has served as President of the Strategic Management Society, is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (the first from a management faculty), and has been named an Officer of the Order of Canada. Mintzberg is the author of 15 books, including The Nature of Managerial Work, Mintzberg on Management, Strategy Safari, Strategy Bites Back, Managers not MBAs and Why I Hate the Flying Circus. He is a founding partner of www.CoachingOurselves.com. For more information, visit www.mintzberg.org.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall (December 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0273709305
• ISBN-13: 978-0273709305
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.1 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,526,582 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Title says it all?, January 4, 2010

By 

Jason Ambrose "slimeddy" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Managing (Hardcover)

I will have to respectfully disagree with the other reviewers here. While Mr. Mintzberg presents a very comprehensive picture of all aspects of managing, the synthesis of those thoughts and his conclusions were so qualified that, in the end, the book was vaguely descriptive of what is probably intuitively obvious to managers rather than insightful or instructive. In that sense, the book was as provocatively simple yet unsatisfying as the title for me.
I can see how there might be value to a reader who, suffering from the frenetic lifestyle described in the book, seeks a frame of reference to reflect on their circumstances, draw some comfort that they are not alone, and then ultimately embark on their own introspection about how to be better managers. I was hoping for an outcome that was perhaps more assertive in its conclusions. I found what was there to be too obvious ("All too often, when managers don't know what to do, they drive their subordinates to 'perform'") or to be characterized as, "you just have to know" ("Over time managing has to function in a dynamic balance"; "management may not be a science, but it does need some of the order of science, whihle being rooted in the practicality of craft, with some of the zest of art").
It may have some value to a reader as a starting point, but I personally did not come away with a sense of completion. I felt like I was prepared well for a message that never materialized.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for those serious about management..., August 31, 2009

By 

J. Brown (Florida United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Managing (Hardcover)

Mintzberg presents the most comprehensive and descriptive model of management functions I have seen. His model describes three planes that represent where managing takes place. The planes are the information plane, the people plane and the action plane.

I will not describe his model in detail here. However it is important to note the model is not simple. It has been my personal experience that people and organizations crave simplifying assumptions to the point they embrace them as the only truths that are needed. So, if you are looking for the "three steps to..." or the "five essential factors..." or the "eight ways to" this book is not for you.

There is nothing inherently wrong with simplifying assumptions as long as we remember circumstances and context are always more complicated than that. Mintzberg correctly points out how a lot of management or leadership books focus on one competency or aspect and what is needed is a balance/blending of many aspects. Specifically he states "...it is time to recognize that managing is neither science nor a profession; it is a practice, learned primarily through experience, and rooted in context."

Therefore, if you are a manager and believe you can always get better at it, this is a book you should read. It provides a context for management. It does not tell you what to do in specific situations. I personally believe that greatness (at anything) is the summation of knowledge of a lot of little things. Everyone can get the basics right but it is the subtleties that result from knowledge and real life experience that result in exceptional levels of performance.

With regard to the book itself the book has key points in bold text and this makes it easy for time constrained readers to quickly scan to items of importance and and then dive in where there is an interest.

Here are ten interesting and/or valuable points I found in the book. There are many more but I will just list these from my perspective:

I. Much of an informed manager's information is not even verbal so much as visceral...seen and felt more than heard.

II. In the leading role managers help to bring out the energy that naturally exists in people.

III. Managers are gatekeepers and buffers in the flow of influence. (Mintzberg's description of 5 ways managers can get this wrong is priceless)

IV. The pressures of managing are not temporary but perpetual.

V. Managing is no job to approach with hesitation: it simply requires too much of the total person.

VI. Successful managers are flawed, we are all flawed, but there particular flaws are not fatal, at least under the circumstances.

VII. Managing contains many inescapable conundrums. (Chapter 5 documents these and is worth the price of the book by itself)

VIII. The self study questions for managers in Chapter 6 are a powerful tool to improve your performance as a manager.

IX. A remarkable number of effective managers are reflective: they know how to learn from their own experience; they explore numerous options; and they back off when one doesn't work to try another.

X. Measure what you can, but then be sure to judge the rest: don't be mesmerized by measurement.

If you are a high level leader this is a book that is worthy of giving to your managers and then scheduling a monthly meeting where a single chapter is reviewed and the important points and take-aways are discussed.

Dr. James T. Brown PMP,PE,CSP
Author, The Handbook of Program Management

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Complexities of Management, October 8, 2009

By 

Larry Underwood "Author - St Louis Cardinals ... (Scottsdale, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Managing (Hardcover)

Thirty-five years ago (today) I hooked on with a company (Enterprise Rent-a-Car) as a "Management Trainee", having no idea where that would eventually lead me. As I rose up the ranks, I eventually became a successful General Manager, made a lot of dough, and was given the golden parachute out the door after a nice 26 year run. When I retired (on 010101), I felt like I was a pretty good manager.

After reading Henry Mintzberg's remarkable study into the complex world of "management", I now realize that I may have been good at what I did, but I most certainly could've been a little better. It's a humbling revelation; but I can live with that. The truth is, most hot shot managers (at any level) could stand to read this book---the definitive book on management that I've ever read; from one of the great management gurus to come along since Peter Drucker.

Effective management is a lot more complex than I originally thought; although a lot of the subtle nuances came easily to me; still, I never gave a lot of the skills required much thought, until now. Mintzberg breaks down the process into three distinct categories---information, people & action---and you'd better be on top of your game in all three to be a truly effective head honcho.

I've read hundreds of books on the subject, but this one with the very simple title, is quite possibly the most relevent one of the bunch. For anyone in any management capacity in any field, this is a vital book to digest. It well help you understand what it takes to really know the key ingredients in becoming a successful manager; actually, a highly successful manager.