Kellogg Executive MBA Program (1994-1996) “Operating Strategy for the General Manager”, Prof. Albert Isenman

Kellogg Executive MBA Program (1994-1996) “Operating Strategy for the General Manager”, Prof. Albert Isenman

Management is not a profession (Sep.16, 1994 )

Transcript

1. I Professor Isenman: Operating Strategy for the General Manager <Management is not a profession.> Managers have to act in the interest of stockholders, customers, and employees. To carry out their responsibilities, they should know the genuine products that can make a profit. They should create the following five products and sell them. 1. Philosophy of the company. 2. Behavior of the employees. 3. Team work in the company. 4. Total system in the company. 5. Product produced in the company. Managers should think that not only product 5 but also products 1 to 4 are very important For example, TOYOTA production system is not a theory, but a philosophy. TOYOTA has achieved a big success because everybody--from top-management to workers--believed the same philosophy and worked for the same direction as a team. Many companies failed to apply TOYOTA production system because they misunderstood that this system was just a theory to get the optimal solution from the view point of industrial engineering. I think a good company has a personality like a person has one. Panasonic has a Mr. Konosuke Matsushita's personality, Honda has a Mr. Soichiro Honda's personality, and Wal-Mart has a Mr. Sam Walton's personality. The philosophy and characteristics of each founder have been accepted and
2. . ' ·' respected by all the employees in each company so that everybody follows the same philosophy. Therefore, each company looks like as if it has a personality. Most of the people I respect for their managing style and philosophy don't have college degrees. Mr. Konosuke Matsushita ~ not even graduate from a junior high school. But I believe they had established their own philosophy with their pure mind for management, and got the business opportunities. They were excellent managers without professional education. I think management is not a profession, but something I have to challenge with everything I have, including my traits to make everybody do his or her best. Even ifl had a- .great knowledge and skill of management, I could not do a big business by myself I need a lot of \. '\l c9 ~ ; ople working for me who are willing to work with me as a team. I consider that the ~ { r,., ~ leadership with a strong philosophy is the most important factor for manager, and companies cannot survive without this kind of leadership. There is a saying in Japan, which goes 'The company cannot grow more than its president's shoulder-width.' I think this is very true, and it is very important for me to learn and polish any personality through the EMP-education to establish my own philosophy of management. I do not want to be a stereotype MBA, and I do not think I'll change this opinion after two years in the EMP. I'm going to try to get something more than just a professional education through the EMP experience. The key of the leadership may be found in the difference of the education system and philosophy between Kellogg and other business schools such as HBS.