“Where are the new management theories?” an acute observer of management trends asked me at a gathering of executives, academics, and journalists focused on the future of work. It was a few months ago, and no one expected the future to arrive as quickly as it has, or in the way that it has. I had heard that question before — it’s a staple of those gatherings — but I’ve been thinking about it a lot since work as we knew it has ground to a halt. Theories bind analysis and action and, especially in times of change, when the future becomes unpredictable and anxiety is running high, managers need theories to provide clarity and reassurance.
Are Our Management Theories Outdated?
We need a more human purpose.
June 18, 2020
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Summary.
Management thinking and practice have reached an inflection point. This “mid-life crisis” of management bears much resemblance to the same phenomenon in our own lives, but in this case we are preoccupied as much with the death of capitalism and our global system as we are with the mortality of our own bodies. Only by bidding adieu to the instrumental character of management can we start to reshape it into something new, something freer and more meaningful that’s focused more on what we’re trying to achieve and why, rather than how to do it faster and more efficiently.