Strategic Leadership vs. Strategic Management: Untying The Gordian Knot
Robert M. Murphy, Ph.D.
Professor of Management United States Army War College
DISCLAIMER
This views expressed in this paper are those of the author and do not reflect the policy or position of the United States War College, the Department of the Army, the Department of Defense, the Department of State, or any agency of the U.S. government.
Note from the Author This paper is a work in progress. The purpose of this paper is to elicit comments from fellow scholars and practitioners as to the soundness of the concepts put forth in this paper.
The Problem By now most of us are getting tired of the endless attempts to distinguish between the concepts of
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In the case of language, instead of using a conceptual framework as the basis of understanding various concepts, old words are given new meaning while new words are developed to describe old theories or practices. I fully realize the evolving nature of the field of management and leadership, but at the rate we are going, those two words will lose their meaning due to the looseness of their usage. As an example, the following is a series of definitions taken from various textbooks used in the United States.
Management Definitions. • A set of activities directed at an organization’s resources human, financial, physical, and information) with the aim of achieving organizational goals in an efficient and effective manner. (Griffin, 1999) The coordination of human, material, technological, and financial resources needed for an organization to achieve its goals. (Hess and Siciliano, 1996) The process of getting things done through the efforts of others. (Mondy and Premeaux, 1995) The process of designing & maintaining an environment in which individuals work together in-groups to accomplish efficiently selected aims. (Weihrich and Koontz, 1993)
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As stated above, these are actual textbooks used in today’s classrooms in the United States and probably around the world. Although my intent is not to discredit any of the authors’s of these texts, I do want to point out the discrepancies that exist among the experts in the field. In my opinion, Griffin includes
Studies on the subjects of leadership and management have the underlying difference between a leader and a manager as “managers maintain things and leaders change things.” Gill (2006:26) explains their difference as “Managers plan, allocate resources, administer and control whereas leaders innovate, communicate and motivate”
The views expressed in this student academic research paper are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the United States
Management is the basis of how any given organization operates and how each activity preformed is organized that makes each day possible and profitable for the overall good of the company. Power
The contents of this paper reflect my own personal views and are not necessarily endorsed by the Naval War College or the Department of the Navy.
The contents of this paper reflect my own personal views and are not necessarily endorsed by the U.S. Army War College or the Department of the Army.
Practically speaking, management is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively. There are several different resource types within management, such as:
There has been debate about the difference between leadership and management. With some believing there is no distinction, while others that they should be separated in two defined roles.
The act of directing and controlling a group of people for the purpose of coordinating and harmonizing the group towards accomplishing a goal beyond the scope of individual effort. Management encompasses the deployment and manipulation of human resources, financial resources, technological resources, and natural resources.
The relation between leadership and management has for a longtime influenced how organizations are perceived. It has also contributed to maintain some type of confusion in education and within the organization itself.
Before coming to USAWC I think that my experience and knowledge gained during the twenty-five years of service is an important quality to possess. At one point I thought: “A few years until retirement, and probably no special secrets for me to discover during academic year. I can only confirm what I know, gained some new knowledge and meet a bunch of interesting people before returning home". Much to my surprise, already after the first reading and discussion at the seminar, made me realize that this will be more interesting than I had hoped.
Management in business is the coordination of people to accomplish set goals efficiently and effectively. It comprises of planning, organising, staffing, leading, and controlling an organisation. Management itself is also an academic discipline, a social science whose object of study is social organisation in order to accomplish a mutual goal.
Management in business and human organization activity, in simple terms means the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals. Management comprises planning, organizing, ->resourcing, leading or directing, and controlling an organization (a group of one or more people or entities) or effort for the purpose of accomplishing a goal. Resourcing encompasses the deployment and manipulation of human resources, financial resources, technological resources, and natural resources.
The definition of management is to exercise executive management, administrative, and monitoring of a group or organization.
Management can be defined as the art or act of doing things or activities through the efforts of other people to accomplish desired goals. It deals with the organising and coordination of people, activities, materials, machines and money.
Digitally signed by Henry Waruhiu DN: cn=Henry Waruhiu gn=Henry Waruhiu c=Kenya l=KE o=ESAMI ou=ESAMI e=hwaruhiu@yahoo.com Reason: I am the author of this document Location: Date: 12/13/11 12:52:31