Management as a profession?

Recent research suggests that 95% of problems in organisations can be attributed to poor management. So what can be done about it?

An article in the 1st September Financial Times argued that a potential solution was for management to operate more like other professions, such as the medical world. Typically, doctors make fact founded decisions based on the latest evidence which often includes probabilities of success or failure. Contrast this with management which normally makes decisions on gut felt "experience" at least perceived risk.

What would managers do if it were there own money they were spending? As a client of mine told his team who wanted to invest in a very risky option "if you want to play in the casino, make sure you use your own chips not mine".

A start point for managers making better decisions might be to ask "what would I do if it were my money"?

Doctors share good practice and research which builds up the overall level practice. Managers usually keep good practice to themselves as they see it as potential competitive advantage.

So management is far from being a true profession in the traditional sense but if 95%of problems are caused by managers, we surely need to do something about it?