Management is becoming a craft from an art, says PGIM head
Management is no an art or science as it is becoming a craft, said Prof. Uditha Liyanage, Director of the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PGIM) Sri Lanka, at the inauguration of the CPM-AMDISA International Management Conference 2013 held at the Sr Lanka Institute of Development Administration (SLIDA) in Colombo last week.
It was organised by the Institute of Certified Professional Managers (CPM) together with Association of Management Development Institute of South Asia (AMDISA).
Keynote speaker Prof. Liyanage said, “Complexity is a mega trend unfolding across the globe impacting enterprises. There are two types of systems, determined system and complex adaptive system (CAS). In CAS there is no planning and implementation. You move from deliberate strategy making to emergent strategy making and operate within a framework. There are no fixed concrete visions and goals because it is unrealistic and you cannot separate planning from implementing. You need to be agile and operate within the frame, but respond in an agile and flexible way. Management is certainly not an art or science, but it is increasingly becoming a craft.”
He added that the 21st century is considered as the conceptual age and everyone is looking at the right great oriented design skills, creative skills, conceptual skills and skills to empathize. “We cannot carry on with our old habits. We must recognize the changes that are taking place in the environment, the new responses we must have in order to meet the challenges and exploit opportunities in the industry.”
He said what Sri Lanka now needs is to grow beyond the debt deficit. “There is too much shallow thinking and we are still thinking in terms of binary. It’s time we recognise the blur before us, the complexity and the ambiguity. If you have the right conceptual skills, the right empathy it got what it takes to go beyond this ambiguity and complexity; we can cross the tape first and be the best,” Prof. Liyanage noted.
President of CPM and Vice President of AMDISA, Prof. Lakshman.R.Watawala said, “Management is a profession that covers all sectors including politics. In politics if you don’t manage the economy, the social elements, the public and other important aspects, in an efficient and effective manner, the country will face grave problems.” The theme of the conference was ‘Managing Enterprises; Challenges and Opportunities’.
The conference was held on the following day after the inauguration, covering a wide range of topics on Multidisciplinary Management, Public Enterprise Management, Business Management and a panel discussion on business tools, corporate interface to enhance the management of enterprises. Dr. Ashok Joshi, President of AMDISA stated, “South Asians play a big role in making the world sustainable. South Asia has been regarded as the intellectual power house of the globe. The people are respected due to the high level of intelligence and with that we have to leverage in a synergetic and harmonious way. The role of AMDISA in South Asia is precisely to have the brotherhood of all eight nations – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Pakistan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka in such a way that all the aspects of differences should wither away through the activity of Professional Management Education. Also South Asians are excellent in the fields of medicine, law, NASA and corporate field.”
Chief Guest at the inauguration Chandima Weerakkody, Deputy Speaker of Parliament of Sri Lanka, said, “In achieving efficiency in management apart from subject matter there is a need for content knowledge, to upgrade the country’s craft, gain and share experience.”
He also emphasised on the need for certificates that are acceptable and qualifications that are recognised not only in Sri Lanka but also internationally. The country needs institutes like the PIGM. Certificates, training and exposure have to be implemented from the grass root level, he said.
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