The Business Book

48

C H A I N S O F H A B I T

A R E T O O L I G H T T O

B E F E L T U N T I L T H E Y

A R E T O O H E A V Y

T O B E B R O K E N

KEEP EVOLVING BUSINESS PRACTICE

P

eople are important in

organizational life. Whether

it is the initiative of a single

entrepreneur or the combined

energy of thousands of employees,

it is people who get things done.

However, that energy and initiative

would count for little without

managers to foster it. The creation,

implementation, and management

of organizational processes is what

molds individual energies into a

coherent whole—and as a company

evolves, it is the experience of

management that is essential in

redefining those processes.

While management experience

can liberate a business, it can also

enslave it. Experience quickly gives

IN CONTEXT

FOCUS

Middle management

KEY DATES

Pre-1850 The business

landscape is dominated by

small, family-run firms.

1850s and 60s A rapid

expansion of the railroad

systems and new industrial

technology in Europe and

America create greater

possibilities for

entrepreneurial businesses.

From 1880s As family

businesses grow ever larger,

administration becomes

important and they begin to

employ professional managers.

1982 UK economist Norman

Macrae predicts a future trend

of “intrapreneurs”: managers

with entrepreneurial thinking.

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