For RasWriter only

SUMMARY

· Thinking cultures

Thinking cultures play a significant role in the management of an organization. However, not all organizational departments depict the ability to think from the same perspective. At times, the organization arms might have different thinking cultures and different goals as well (McKenney & Keen, 1974). When two different bodies in an organization start thinking differently, there is a possibility of conflicts. It is apparent that if an organization wants to attain specific goals, it must think and view issues from the same perspectives. By so doing, the organization gets to achieve a common goal.

· Differences between managers and management

For so long, people have not been able to differentiate between the manager and the management. However, the truth is that the manager and the management are two bodies in an organization that plays a significant role in the success or failure of an organization (McKenney & Keen, 1974). At times, managers might have a different think culture form that of the management and that is likely to affect the operations of the organization.

· Manager and scientist working relationship

A manager and a scientist can work together with the aim of solving problems which face an organization. However, such is only possible if the two depict their ability to stick to their given mandates.

· Problem-solving strategies

Problem-solving strategies play a significant role when it comes to managing any given organization. With that in mind, there is a need to only implement the most effective strategies in an organization or project.

· Thinking styles

Thinking styles affect how an organization runs its affairs. The thinking style of the management might not be in line with each management team member. However, there is a need to have an agreement on different issues facing an organization. When thinking styles of a team are in line with the goals, the team gets to benefit.

APPLICATION

Today I have realized that the reading applies to different areas in my career and work. As a process engineer, it is apparent that I have engaged myself in many projects. Each project has been a lesson in one way or the other. By looking at every idea presented in the study, I can relate each one of them with my work. The situation that I will use in this case is related to my work.

In my line of work, I find myself working for large corporations both in projects and as an adviser. I will use a situation where we landed a contract to upgrade an oil plant. In many projects, there is always a team involved. With that in mind, it is apparent that the decision-making process does not only include one person but a lot of people. However, the final decision lies with the manager.

A manager plays the biggest role in ensuring that the project team is effective and at the same time the project is a success. However, it is essential to realize that the modern business world has changed. Therefore, the contribution of the management is essential, and therefore there must be an alignment of ideas from both the management and the manager . In project management, thinking culture matters and it can affect the project operations. For example, when the team was awarded the contract, it had to think from the perspective of the company that offered the contract.

The reason for insisting on that is because a project team is only in place to meet the needs of the company. It is also essential to know that the thinking culture of all project team members must be in line with the needs of the company (McKenney & Keen, 1974). It is only by having a thinking culture that does not contradict with the goals of the project team that the team gets to enjoy the success of the team. Failure to having the same thinking culture, a project team might spend most of its time fighting and trying to solve differences instead of working on the project.

In many mega projects, there is more than one manager. However, there is the project manager and managers of other departments. It is important to note that each manager is significant when it comes to completing the project. The list of the managers and other heads comprises the management. The management must work together with the project manager to achieve the desired goals. If such does not happen, then it is most likely that the main goals of the company would not be met.

Looking at the article, it is apparent that the issue of the management and the managers thinking differently has been focused on. When such happens, there is a delayed progress and waste of time because it is the same as pulling a rope from two opposite directions.

Scientists and managers should work together on any given project. I have realized that after going through the article and also looking at the project that I provided as the occasion where I saw the readings to be relevant (McKenney & Keen, 1974). A scientist has a work of finding out. However, a manager has a significant work of improving. Therefore, it is apparent that when the scientist provides the manager with the findings, the project will be a success.

In the process of upgrading the oil plant, there were challenges in place. Each of the challenges was an obstacle to the success of the company. It is for this reason that I still find the readings helpful because they focus on problem-solving strategies (Kerzner, 2013). By utilizing the readings, a project can attain the desired goals. Thinking styles also played a significant role in working on the project. The way a project team thinks has a lot to do with the capabilities of the same project.

The second occasion that I will use to relate with the readings is when I was given the responsibility to manage a minor project in one of the organizations in the country. By looking at the way I ran the project and also at the way that the team was responding, it is apparent that all the main ideas in the reading are practical. I will start with the first phase of the project, and that was brainstorming on the project as a team. At this stage, I noticed and realized that thinking cultures are different and people evaluate ideas from different perspectives.

When it came to implementing the ideas, I realized that my decision was not final; there were other managers who held different thoughts and each one of them believed that the best way to go is by implementing his or her decision (McKenney & Keen, 1974). It is at this point I realized that the manager might have a different opinion compared to the opinions of the management. When it came to working on the project, I realized a need to have more information about the site. It is at this point that I noticed that the work of a scientist could be used by a manager to produce admirable results in a project. In the process of working on the project, I realized that there is a need to have strategies which help in solving problems. It is at this point I saw the relevance of the readings in a project. Thinking styles also proved to be significant when it comes to managing a project. The thoughts of every member are needed. However, they must be in line with the desired goals.

References

Kerzner, H. (2013). Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley & Sons.

McKenney, J & Keen, P. (1974). How Manager’s Mind Work. Harvard Business Review.

�What do you mean by “managers and management?” The reading makes no such distinction—it deals with managers and management scientists.

�Thinking styles are not “given mandates”—they are the way people think—it is an SNP “Style”

�You never state the problem solving strategies discussed in the reading, nor the problem finding strategy.

�I don't get it. What's the difference between the management, the manager, project management, and "the perspective of the company"? This is really unclear and doesn't seem to correlate to anything in the reading. Do these somehow relate to the reading’s use of (2) thinking styles associated with managers and management scientists?