obey, not to stop and think. And that is precisely what managers need to do
today: stop, take a breath and reflect.
Events can only become experiences if they are processed and reflected upon,
explains Mintzberg. If the true meaning is not grasped, the managers become
thoughtless and shortsighted. Enterprises need employees and managers with a
wider range of vision. The Latin verbreflectereliterally means “to turn back.”
Our attention must first focus inward, and only later outward. Managers must
look inward and back, in order to gain the perspective needed to focus forward.
Vision does not come from nowhere, but is the product of the collected and
reflected experiences of the past.- The analytic mindset
No organization can exist without analysis, because the organizational structure
is analytic by nature. Analyzing allows us to break down complex phenomena
into their individual parts. The goal of the analytic mindset is to identify the
important aspects of structures while filtering out the unimportant ones. The
purpose is not to simplify complex decisions but to maintain the complexity
without losing the ability to act.
In our enterprises too much is analyzed using the wrong methods, according
to Mintzberg. For example, a marketing manager may become so consumed
with defining the potential market group that she misses a sales opportunity.
Managers must break out of this narrow interpretation and look beyond the
figures, questioning and digging beyond conventional analysis. - The worldly mindset
The trend of globalization suggests a certain standardization of business at the
international level. On closer examination it is hardly monotonous, and in fact
consists of many different individual worlds. Mintzberg recommends that
managers be globally aware and acquire both theoretical and practical knowl-
edge of societies worldwide. Global activities are not a prerequisite for a worldly
mindset, and a global project or a job with one global player does not automati-
cally establish such a mindset. Managers must leave their offices and spend time
where products are manufactured, customers are served and employees are
recruited. They have to get to know the environments, customs and cultures of
other people in order to better understand their own world. By adopting a
worldly mindset, Mintzberg encourages managers to constantly investigate
different cultures in order to return to their home country and integrate the
knowledge gained. In this manner, the other world can become a mirror of the
manager’s own world. This mindset also serves to place the reflecting mindset,
which revolves around the manager and his or her own world, in the correct
context. - The collaborative mindset
Mintzberg feels that Western managers often have a limited perspective. Too
often, they regard employees as independent actors, or as assets that can be
shifted and redistributed as needed. However, the goal must be to manage
relationships between people – in teams and projects, within and across
departments, and in external alliances – rather than managing individuals.
2.1 The Craft of Leadership 55