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On Monday, November 18, 2010, I attended The Art of Management. The speaker lineup was fantastic. I was able to chat with a few good folks who were also in attendance – Martin Cleaver, Darren Chartier, and Rob Lavigne to name a few. I even bumped into my former manager from Ryerson at the conference.

Management, as the concept we know today, really only dates back as far as the early industrial revolution. First, management meant having sufficient labour in the right places to complete a job. Some marketing functions could have been mixed in as well.

As industries became more complex, so did management.

Management continues to change as organizations become more and more complex, and people’s skills become more and more specialized.

Here are some factors I considered when thinking about changes in the art of management.

Technological Change

People are more connected than ever. Mitch Joel spoke on the idea of a connected workforce and client base. The evolution of the Internet and connected devices have largely contributed to this. They enable collaboration, idea sharing, learning and teaching in ways that simply did not exist previously.

Managers who are unaware or do not understand the advances in technology face challenges in managing staff who are aware. Knowledge workers who are unable to access the tools that they use in their personal lives to exchange information may experience frustrations.

Social Change

Workers have different expectations. Lifestyles, standards of living have changed. Globalization and multi-cultural workforces have made management more complex. More people in North America are considered knowledge workers. Knowledge workers have specific areas of expertise based on their personal career experiences. These knowledge workers expect to use their expertise to make an impact in their roles.

Managers who are very aware of the strengths and expertise of their staff are better positioned to support innovation, will work with more satisfied teams. Collaboration must be empowered by good management. Collaboration is fantastic, but if left unchecked can meander down many paths. A manager must provide guidance and cull ideas when necessary. Or place ideas on the back burner for a time when they can be pursued. Nilofer Merchant advocated for the collaborative construction of ideas, and their destruction. But leaders must be there to guide these processes.

Organizational Change

Companies, organizations, expectations, have all changed. They’ve gotten bigger. Richer. Faster. More powerful. More complex.

Job functions have become more specialized, tougher to recruit and train for. With specialization the tendency became for companies to recruit for skills. But one thing has never changed – people need to work well together. Simon Sinek stressed in his presentation that companies should establish a “why”, or a reason for their being, and hire people who fit with their philosophy. In other words, hire for fit, train for skills.

Obviously there are some professions which require training that is too specialized to do this. A law firm or engineering firm would never hire a 19-year-old off the street and then send them for years of university to acquire the necessary accreditation.

In Conclusion

I left the Art of Management Conference with enough information and thoughts to discuss more than this. But, I’m sure you’re finished reading what I have to say for now. Check back in coming weeks for more discussion inspired by the conference.

Where you there too? Share your thoughts on the conference, or what I’ve written about it. I’d love to hear what you took away, and whether it compares to my take home points.