“The Five Minds of a Manager” by J. Gosling and H. Mintzberg

Article Review

Managers become leaders. This idea has been the trend of the past decade in the world of organizational management. The question arises if such a change is always positive. Considering the importance of the efficient management of the modern organizations, the paper summarizes the article by Jonathan Gosling and Henry Mintzberg, “The Five Minds of a Manager,” analyzes it according to the previous experience of the author, and provides a critical response.

Summary

The article written by Gosling and Mintzberg (2003) presents the concepts and the subsequent framework, designed for the modern managers to make their work more efficient. The framework includes the following five concepts, called by the authors the “mind-sets”: “the reflective mind-set… the analytical mind-set… the wordily mind-set… the collaborative mind-set… and the action mind-set” (Gosling & Mintzberg, 2003). The reflective mind-set offers the managers to pay more attention to the process of understanding of what they do in each situation. The analytical mind-set is about the balanced analysis of efforts in the daily practice of a manager. The worldly mind-set advises the managers to explore the context they work at deeper than usual. The collaborative mind-set emphasizes the need in the development of good relationships with people around. Finally, the action mind-set is about the balance between the reflective (passive) practices and active changes that a manager should pursue on a daily basis.

Analysis

The concepts and the framework provided by the authors of the article require the exploration by managers of all levels in the organizations of all sizes. It is the mix of the approaches to the managerial work that results in the well-weighed, smart, efficient approach to managing organizations. A manager should possess the arsenal of the tools, described and explained in the article, to be ready to any situation within and outside the organization, employing this person (Ghuman, 2010). Based on the previous experience, it can be said that an extensive but a rather narrow analysis of the particular situation on the market had led to the business crash. The manager did not pay attention to the upcoming changes on the market of mobile phones, and the competitor eventually managed to occupy the organization’s market niche.

Response

The approach to management presented in the article seems smart and balanced. Each standalone mind-set is not a panacea of the managerial problems a manager faces every day. It is not appropriate to use only the analysis or collaboration, or action, for example. It is of the highest importance to mix all these practices into one, seamless cycle, repeated every time when it is necessary. Managerial theories do not consider all the peculiarities of the real-life management, so in my opinion, the article is the best tool to use if a manager wants to be efficient in the organization. I wish I had this article when my past employer, an excellent professional in analysis but not so good in interpersonal relationships, decided to pay minimal attention to the newest trend on the market of the mobile gadgets. The company would not have failed then on the market.

Conclusion

Summing, the paper considered the importance of the efficient management of the modern organizations, summarized the article of Jonathan Gosling and Henry Mintzberg, “The Five Minds of a Manager,” analyzed it according to the previous experience of the author, and provided a critical response. The approach of the authors of the article to the required shift in the managers’ minds is well-grounded, and it deserves the closest attention of the managers in any organization around the world.

References

Ghuman, K. (2010). Management: Concepts, practice & cases. New Delhi, India: Tata McGraw-Hill Education.

Gosling, J. & Mintzberg, H. (2003). The five minds of a manager. Harvard Business Review. Web.

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