"In turbulent times," Drucker wrote, "the first task of management is to make sure of the institution's capacity for survival."
You know, that doesn't really mean anything. Management probably won't have an avenue that guarantees survival. It will have a set of options, or maybe a continuum of options that are simply messy. There will be many moving parts, all interconnected, and that kind of system is terribly difficult to optimize. Some will be safer in the short-term but seem riskier in the long-term, while others will be riskier in the short-term but actually be safer in the long-term.
I swear I'm not quibbling here. This is important. But saying that the most important thing is to preserve the institution is simply either vacuous or ill-defined.
What I'm saying is that advice is worth virtually nothing because it doesn't help eliminate many possible courses of action.
true. It's also inherently conservative. When your top priority shifts from "make something people want" to "cover your @$$ so you can go to work tomorrow" you're in a bad spot.
"In turbulent times," Drucker wrote, "the first task of management is to make sure of the institution's capacity for survival."
You know, that doesn't really mean anything. Management probably won't have an avenue that guarantees survival. It will have a set of options, or maybe a continuum of options that are simply messy. There will be many moving parts, all interconnected, and that kind of system is terribly difficult to optimize. Some will be safer in the short-term but seem riskier in the long-term, while others will be riskier in the short-term but actually be safer in the long-term.
Well, maybe he's just trying to say that the most important thing is to preserve the institution when times are tough.
I swear I'm not quibbling here. This is important. But saying that the most important thing is to preserve the institution is simply either vacuous or ill-defined.
What I'm saying is that advice is worth virtually nothing because it doesn't help eliminate many possible courses of action.
true. It's also inherently conservative. When your top priority shifts from "make something people want" to "cover your @$$ so you can go to work tomorrow" you're in a bad spot.