What is the essence of management?

If the so-called essence, then it should be eight words:

There is no fixed method of law, only change comes from it.

I stayed on as a teacher after graduation, and later resigned and went to an enterprise. Although I majored in physics, the way of thinking in physics is also very effective in enterprise management. Only in view of my lack of personal experience, and then went to MBA, can I change my status and become a real business administration graduate.

When I first started to engage in enterprise management, I liked to learn from other people's successful experiences and cases, especially when doing management consulting. I used to use various management tools to help customers analyze and solve problems, such as SWOT analysis, five-force analysis, Porter's product structure hierarchy analysis, Maslow's demand hierarchy analysis and so on.

The application of various tools can not only make you get started quickly, but also make customers feel that you are inscrutable.

But later, with the increase of project experience and management experience, especially after studying the Book of Changes and Sun Tzu's Art of War systematically and deeply, we found that there were more and more shortcomings and rigidities in various tools, models and methods, and more and more people agreed with what Chinese medicine said? Different treatments for the same disease and the same treatment for different diseases? Statement.

Enterprises are like people. The same problem in management is often caused by different reasons, but different problems may have the same reason, which is very complicated. Therefore, every enterprise should see more, listen more and ask more questions, treat according to syndrome differentiation, and can't have illusions? A fresh move, eat all over the sky? .

In the face of these problems, the seemingly tall tools and models in western management are dull and difficult to adapt. The correct way is to adjust measures to local conditions, learn to be flexible according to the circumstances and people, so as to find the root of the problem and put forward a solution to both the symptoms and the root causes.

Western management science calls this management mode contingency management, but it has a deeper understanding and insight in eastern philosophy:

Confucius said in "Random Thoughts":

Yi is not far from the book, because the Tao moves repeatedly, and the change does not live in it. It is six deficiency, impermanence, rigidity and softness, which is not necessary for canon, but only suitable for change.

Sun Wu said in Sun Tzu's Art of War

The image of the husband and soldier is water, in the shape of water, avoiding heights and falling; The shape of a soldier, avoiding reality is empty. Water flows because of the ground, and soldiers win because of the enemy. Therefore, being able to win because of the enemy's change is called God.

This is a higher generalization and more accurate exposition of this contingency theory, which is called Yi in Zhouyi and is one of the core contents of Zhouyi.

Therefore, in enterprise management, we need to make it clear that there is no definite law, and only change is obedience. Any tool, model or theory has its specific application scenarios and cannot be used to solve any problems mechanically. When encountering specific problems, we must analyze them in detail, formulate the best scheme and the most applicable solution.

In my later work, I seldom mentioned technical terms such as SWOT analysis, let alone applying these models to solve problems. On the contrary, I can directly grasp the essence of the problem and give an accurate judgment according to the description of the enterprise in a few words. This is much more efficient than being trapped in a model, trapped in an ocean of data and information, and unable to distinguish between east, west, north and south.

Of course, I am not here to deny and overturn the effectiveness of various tools and methods. Human growth needs a process, which is divided into different stages and realms. If you didn't learn and apply these models and methods at the beginning, you wouldn't be familiar and relaxed later.

Confucius himself said that? Seventy without overstepping the rules and doing what you want? Didn't you say he jumped at birth? Do what you want to do? The realm of freedom can only be achieved by studying hard for 60 years and self-denial.

I just tell you from my personal experience, don't blindly believe in various management tools and methods, don't blindly worship those management experts and management authorities, but learn, understand and apply these tools and methods with a critical attitude.

Only in this way can you really solve all kinds of management problems faced by enterprises and create value for enterprises.

Only in this way can you stand on the shoulders of giants and take a crucial step forward, instead of being trapped on the shoulders of giants and becoming slaves to their thoughts.

Only in this way can you compete with these former giants and become a member of them one day.