OPINION: The crisis of management in the country
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GUEST – Dr Sibongile Vilakazi is the president of the Black Management Forum
A simple Google search of the definition of management shows that management is the art of getting things done. It is the administration of organisations, whether they are a business, a non-profit organisation or a government body.
It is the coordination and effective use of limited resources for production or to achieve a goal. Leadership on the other hand, is the act of guiding other individuals, teams or an entire organisation. The ability to inspire others to act in a particular way or to follow a specific direction. Looking at the state of our nation, the frustration stemming from challenges with the delivery of basic services such as maintenance of infrastructure, health care, safety and security and job creation; one always hears the lamentation and statements such as, “we have a leadership crisis in this country”, “we have great policies, but implementation is a problem”. The idea of management failure does not feature much in our psyche as a nation. This is because we put too much emphasis on position power, which we mistake for leadership and less emphasis on the art of getting things done, which is management. What if government was a business, who would be the leader and who would be the managers?
Positionally, the president or premier at provincial level would be the CEO and leader of the business, cabinet ministers or members of the executive council would be the executive managers of the business, director general and head of departments would be the senior managers of the business
A simple Google search of the definition of management shows that management is the art of getting things done. It is the administration of organisations, whether they are a business, a non-profit organisation or a government body.
It is the coordination and effective use of limited resources for production or to achieve a goal. Leadership on the other hand, is the act of guiding other individuals, teams or an entire organisation. The ability to inspire others to act in a particular way or to follow a specific direction. Looking at the state of our nation, the frustration stemming from challenges with the delivery of basic services such as maintenance of infrastructure, health care, safety and security and job creation; one always hears the lamentation and statements such as, “we have a leadership crisis in this country”, “we have great policies, but implementation is a problem”. The idea of management failure does not feature much in our psyche as a nation. This is because we put too much emphasis on position power, which we mistake for leadership and less emphasis on the art of getting things done, which is management. What if government was a business, who would be the leader and who would be the managers?
Positionally, the president or premier at provincial level would be the CEO and leader of the business, cabinet ministers or members of the executive council would be the executive managers of the business, director general and head of departments would be the senior managers of the business
