Management education is fit to find a place in the trash bags. No, not trash bags - they can be used as door mats. Well, if at all you deem them deserving a place in home at all, that is.
The reasoning behind this statement that reminds management thinkers of the rightful place of their first love is simple enough. Management theory talks about leadership; leadership talks of control, of decision making, of responsibilities, of Accountabilities! I don't mean to delve into the depths of any of these jargons. Just to get some facts straight, Strategic Planning is supposed to have been born in the US during the World Wars. The United States call themselves pioneers in having brought Management studies from the drawing boards of the War Zones to the public domain through their famed Business Schools. The United States is the most powerful bully on Planet Earth and it's President is supposed to author most of its bullying tactics. Put them all together, the President of the United States is supposed to be the individual that has the maximum quantum of Accountability in the globe!
Ectics in Business was brought into focus for the first time when huge empires crumbled to pieces, dragging along with them, dreams of millions and dollars in trillions, when Accounting fraud was the buzzword in the US. It took a while before investors mustered courage to invest in shares again. However, the skeletons in the Boardroom were very much brought to light by the ridiculous lust for money by men in dark suites. It was a hard lesson that Management Schools had to learn and they scurried to fix the holes in their syllabus when it came to Business Ethics.
Then was the turn of the war lords to come down heavily with all their might on the distant, remote prospects of a sovereign state being in a position to prepare and deploy Weapons of Mass Destruction. The President argued passionately, addressing an International delegation, reasoning how Iraq posed a grave threat to the entire humanity. Poor Blair had no option but to say "Yes President". UN Weapons Inspectors pleaded for time as they found nothing to substantiate the Western allegations. They were brushed aside as Iraq was pounded.
After the war was officially declared over, shocking images of obscenities were flashed across the world, from the prisons of Iraq. A few scape goats were brought to justice. The duo of Bush and Blair have gone on record, after Mr Saddam Hussain was shackled, that they made their decisions based on misleading Intelligence reports! The two still continue to occupy their chairs. And worse, they have set their sights on Iran now! To be able to murder thousands in cold blood and then go ahead with their next massacre plans must be a juicy proposition for vampires who are thirsty for blood!
So, the proud Business Schools of the United States of America might consider pondering over what went wrong with their theories of Accountability in leadership and getting back to their basics, so much so that they fall pathetically short of having any validity for practice when it came to the highest authority in their own Great Nation. Whether it's about a sole proprietorship business with a turnover of a couple of thousand dollars or the arena of International Politics with Strategies that touch the lives of billions, Management theory must hold the key to explain leadership and it's effect on subjects. To explain away the fees in thousands as being charged for a study that operates in vacuum and to continue pitching for prospects for courses in Executive Education is a farce, when the most powerful leaders prove leadership theories, the worst mistakes of management.
2 comments:
But there are many good writers in Management but the problem is they are not taught in mainstream courses. Try reading something by Charles Perrow sometime.
Neat post though.
Shall read that. But basically, it's not a question of something being taught or being written about. I wonder if the "Adventures of Bush in Iraq" have been made case studies in any of the Business Schools, particularly, the US ones. I would definitely like to know if that's happened.
It would be interesting to know how far business schools go in chastising the Administration. There is no scope for an allegation - what Bush and Blair did was there in front of the world audiences. And what they said after all had been done is on tape. Isn't it elementary that they take the onus on themselves and step out of their positions?
What credibility does the US in general - and the Bush Administration in particular - have in any of their statements, now that they themselves have admitted of "making a mistake" that cost a few thousand lives - and is still taking its toll? Why should anyone listen to a liar after all?
Most importantly, does the US have any right to preach at all? Bush has to be tried for War Crimes. If every country chooses to act the way the US has done - to kill a "potential" enemy, what would remain of the world? If the US can do it, why can't India do it too? Who conferred the rights of "World Police" on the US?
It all started in a similar fashion - allegations, then forced co-operation from the other Nations and then, the explosions right into the homes of the innocent! And it's happening again - Iran is the target this time. Will the world community wait to see another disaster unfold?
The US has lost its credibility - and the post has portrayed it from the view point of a Business School curriculum. Bush needs to be put behind bars - now! Or, it may be too late - and by then, gallons of Iranian blood would well be flowing down the streets of Iran!
The same logic that the US applied in the case of Iraq, applies here too - the US is a potential enemy. And if the US could act before its enemies did, so could other nations, before the US kills them. If history is any guide, the US, which has violated International norms and has stormed the weaker nations in the past half a decade (it has done so through out history) is very likely to bomb the hell out of Iran as well.
The International Community, including India, has been turning a blind eye to this cold truth to secure its own selfish interests. What does the US hold as its carrot in front of India for voting against Iran? Nuclear Deal! Is this what the US has been opposing in the case of Iran? Yes, the technicalities could differ - but then, the one country that has had the most violent attitude towards other Nations is the US. Ought the US not be asked to disarm first, before it pokes its dirty nose into other Nations?
The moment Bush and Blair conceded their mistakes, they were supposed to have stepped down. And the Business Schools, that preach Management in all its jargons, must take the lead in pointing out to Bush that he has been bringing disgrace to their goodwill and to their country. How could a Business School in the US make sense when the very leadership of the country that it preaches from violates every law? What of Accountabilities? What of Ethics?
If the Business Schools have their sensible heads over their shoulders, they could sue their President for slandering their reputations. Or, they could act as if they never knew what was happening in their national politics and carry on with their case studies and management games that teach their students how to become rich through Accounting Manipulations!
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