Henry Mintzberg Quotes

Powerful Henry Mintzberg for Daily Growth

About Henry Mintzberg

Henry Mintzberg is a renowned management scholar and professor emeritus at the Schulich School of Business, York University, Toronto, Canada. Born on January 13, 1939, in Montreal, Quebec, Mintzberg's academic journey began when he graduated from McGill University with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in 1960. He then pursued his Ph.D. at MIT's Sloan School of Management under the guidance of Igor Ansoff and Howard Thomas, completing it in just two years. Mintzberg is best known for his significant contributions to management theory, particularly the structuring of organizations and strategic management. His work challenges traditional views by emphasizing the interplay between formal structures and informal processes within organizations. He introduced the concepts of managerial work roles (interpersonal, informational, decisional), organizational configurations (simple structure, machine bureaucracy, professional bureaucracy, divisionalized form, adhocracy, and the configuration of the future), and managerial tenures (career, craft, and calling). His influential works include "The Nature of Managerial Work" (1973), "Structuring for Excellence" (1983), and "Strategy Safari" (1994) - a book co-authored with Jon R.athon, Bruce Ahlstrand, and Joe Lampel that presents ten different approaches to strategy analysis and formulation. Mintzberg's work has been widely recognized and influential in both academia and the business world. He has received numerous awards for his contributions, including the Academy of Management's Distinguished Scholar Award and the Order of Canada. His ideas continue to shape the field of management studies today.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Management is, above all, a practice where art, science, and craft meet."

The quote emphasizes that management isn't solely based on hard data or scientific principles but also involves creativity, intuition, and practical skills – qualities often associated with art and craft. In essence, it suggests that an effective manager combines theoretical knowledge (science), innovative thinking (art), and hands-on experience (craft) to excel in their role.

"The manager's job is to make sure that things get done through other people."

The quote emphasizes that a manager's primary role is facilitation and coordination, ensuring tasks are completed by guiding and motivating their team members effectively. Essentially, the manager acts as an enabler, fostering an environment conducive to productivity and success among others.

"I contend that the basic task of management is to foster continuous improvement in whatever it is that an organization does."

This quote by Henry Mintzberg emphasizes the primary role of management, which is to consistently drive enhancement within the organization's core functions or activities. In other words, managers should focus on fostering a culture of continuous learning, innovation, and improvement in order to ensure that an organization remains competitive, effective, and adaptable over time. This ongoing pursuit for betterment ensures the organization stays relevant and moves forward towards its goals.

"Managers are not heroes, nor are they merely bureaucrats. They are normal human beings who must cope with extraordinary pressures."

This quote emphasizes that managers are ordinary individuals, not extraordinary heroes or cold, uncaring bureaucrats, who deal with extraordinary pressures in their roles. It suggests that the role of a manager demands a unique blend of human qualities to effectively navigate complex and often stressful work environments.

"The more complex the organizational structure, the less effective the organization will be."

This quote by Henry Mintzberg suggests that when an organization becomes too intricate or convoluted in its internal structure, it tends to lose effectiveness. Complexity can often lead to unnecessary bureaucracy, confusion, and inefficiencies, making it difficult for the organization to function smoothly or adapt quickly to changes. A simpler organizational structure, on the other hand, encourages communication, coordination, and agility – key factors that drive productivity and success.

Basically, managing is about influencing action. Managing is about helping organizations and units to get things done, which means action. Sometimes, managers manage actions directly. They fight fires. They manage projects. They negotiate contracts.

- Henry Mintzberg

Negotiate, Which, Means, Directly

Companies are communities. There's a spirit of working together. Communities are not a place where a few people allow themselves to be singled out as solely responsible for success.

- Henry Mintzberg

People, Spirit, Allow, Singled

Often, M.B.A.s will parachute around from one company or industry to another, without really understanding what's behind it.

- Henry Mintzberg

Behind, Will, Another, Parachute

So technologies, whether it is a telephone or an iPhone, computers in general or automobiles, television even, all individualize us. We all sit in front of our iPhones and communicating but are we really communicating?

- Henry Mintzberg

Television, Automobiles, Individualize

We're all flawed, but basically, effective managers are people whose flaws are not fatal under the circumstances. Maybe the best managers are simply ordinary, healthy people who aren't too screwed up.

- Henry Mintzberg

Best, Circumstances, Screwed, Flaws

What I have against M.B.A.s is the assumption that you come out of a two-year program probably never having been a manager - at least for full-time younger people M.B.A. programs - and assume you are ready to manage.

- Henry Mintzberg

Against, Been, Full-Time, Two-Year

Managers who don't lead are quite discouraging, but leaders who don't manage don't know what's going on. It's a phony separation that people are making between the two.

- Henry Mintzberg

Making, Going, Leaders, Manage

This obsession with leadership... It's not neutral; it's American, this idea of the heroic leader who comes in on a white horse to save the day. I think it's killing American companies.

- Henry Mintzberg

Leader, Think, I Think, American Companies

If the private sectors are about markets and the public sectors are about governments, then the plural sector is about communities.

- Henry Mintzberg

Private, Sectors, Markets, Communities

You can teach all sorts of things that improve the practice of management with people who are managers. What you cannot do is teach management to somebody who is not a manager, the way you cannot teach surgery to somebody whose not a surgeon.

- Henry Mintzberg

Practice, Manager, Teach, Managers

What you get out of an M.B.A. programme, no matter how much experience, is functional tools and understanding in disciplines: you'll understand economics, you'll understand marketing, finance, accounting. That, M.B.A. programmes do very well.

- Henry Mintzberg

Very, Functional, Programmes, Accounting

I describe management as arts, crafts and science. It is a practice that draws on arts, craft and science and there is a lot of craft - meaning experience - there is a certain amount of craft meaning insight, creativity and vision, and there is the use of science, technique or analysis.

- Henry Mintzberg

Practice, Use, Amount, Draws

My feeling about executive bonuses is that any candidate for a chief executive job who even raises the issue of bonuses should be dismissed out of hand.

- Henry Mintzberg

Chief, About, Issue, Raises

Technologies tend to undermine community and encourage individualism.

- Henry Mintzberg

Technologies, Tend, Encourage

If you're searching for quotes on a different topic, feel free to browse our Topics page or explore a diverse collection of quotes from various Authors to find inspiration.