Management Education - Bridging Theory and Practice

The difference between theory and practice in theory is much less than theory & practice in practice. (Randal l Schwartz)

March 2010

Group 7
Bapna Modayil Kadia Meriem Omniya Al Beloushi Manoj Soni Salah Kooheji 200867968 200772484 200866578 200859288 200774744

Word count-1425

Table of Contents
Table of Contents................................................................................................................................... 2 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 3 Theorizing Practice................................................................................................................................. 3 Practicing Theory.................................................................................................................................... 4 References ............................................................................................................................................ 6 Appendices............................................................................................................................................. 7 Notes.................................................................................................................................................... 14

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Introduction
Managing presents perspectives that can be handles to guide through management thinking and act effectively in an ambiguous & complex situation of organizational life. But managers should not only limit the knowledge to these tool box recipes, but rather device new solutions in new situations, that would help him to travel through the uncertain and complex environment of organisation.This assignment takes you through a journey of absurdity of logical and rational theory, and the unpredictable and specious world of reality which the MBA students face We know that though consistent and standardized, the product of MBA education tends to be narrow, short-term, and technical, and that it may consign the ultimate sin of actually reducing commitment to lifelong learning (Porter et al. 1989; Raelin 1990 p).These programs gives an impression to the students that the management problems which they will face will be huddled in a wrap up. Relating to the work of Reilly (1982), we are left with the question if these graduates can actually think independently or act without sufficient information, changing their course of action midway, or querying themselves satisfactorily. As the success of any manager lies in triumphantly dealing with the challenges to todays turbulent world, where the organizations should be innovative, adaptable, inspiring, socially responsible as well as operationally excellent, what we yearn to prove is that, if this success comes from the world of a management school or not.

Theorizing Practice

In an organization today, managers face the dilemma of anxiousness, hesitance to take initiatives and mistrust his own judgments. According to Thorpe (1988), theory is a way of illuminating and describing action and it provides managers with a common language and wide powers of analysis. Management theory any day helps to build organizational adaptability, an environment where information is widely shared and risk taking is encouraged, and where fear is paralyzed. A further introduction to principles which could be applied to new problems and contexts are provided in management education which develop the capacity to deal with change. If all the theory could be put into practice, but if the managers are reluctant to trying out new paths of innovation, then still the theory lies in the backyard. This reluctance by practitioners is attributed to the nature of theory which is developed based on inductive empiricism or a priori reasoning testing. (Weick, 1989). The importunate view is that theory and practice are polar opposites: however a sharp manager who wishes to improve on his skills and abilities would use his theoretical knowledge for an improved performance. But the value of theory in day to day setbacks is still contemplated. The value of applying theory is also questioned when for the same problem there appears numerous and divergent theories from different schools of thought. The predictability of theory in meeting the needs of practicing managers are well evident in structural contingency theory of organization. The contingency model even though does not prescribe a solution to Management decision making, but provides a framework and structure and analysis of the decisions made. The emphasis of this theory on the environment that the organization functions helps the managers to assess the interrelated factors that influence organizations effectiveness.
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One of the most perennial issues in the field of management involves the status and role of Management theorizing in the light of the practice that it aims to illuminate (J. P. Cornelissen and R. Thorpe, 2004). Lawler 1985 & Pettigrew 1985 are among the few academic researches who have emphasized on the need for integration of Theory (the understanding knowledge) and Practice (the usable knowledge) on a particular case so that they complement each other than compete with each other. A number of theories in this organizational field assert to be of practical use to managers, who alleges to make use of some of them and for those theories which are meant to be effectively put into practice, practical successes are claimed. Thus, the impression is sometimes created that the different theories of organization amount to a toolkit for practicing managers. (Gabriel, 2002, 134). The usefulness of theory diminishes to the fact that, even though theoretical and practical spheres of a problem have a common frame work, the differences in environment and tasks makes them detached. The concept of, management theory jungle (Harold koontz, 1961) exposes us to the flood of management theories which have developed from six different schools of thought. Koontz identified that negative aspect of this jungle was the conflict among the different approaches which led to the confusion. The challenge of relevance of management theory to real life problems has classified the models of Frederick Taylors one best practice as a total human abuse and Elton Mayos Human Relation School Thought as one which totally lacks real world experience. The uncertainty the group had, whether the success in todays Business world comes only through Management school education and Theoretical models, can be taken on a broader perspective and concluded that a sustainable success in practice is always tagged along with theoretical models and Management school education.

Practicing Theory
Practitioner should utilize theory in practice and theorist should admit that there is a wealth of knowledge to be gained from the practitioner (Salaman G. 1995), Practicing theory helps the managers to anticipate the dilemmas and come out of crisis without depending on the gut feeling. All theories are based on a study of practice, which are reflected to bring out new theories to enhanced practices. Needles to say, different theories must be interlinked to move ahead and once they are put to practice, the managers can amend them in a way that benefits every situation. When theory makes sense through practice, the latter makes sense only through reflection of supporting theory. The central part of practicing theory is
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when the Managers views the theory through different angles of a kaleidoscope and takes it to a second level, past reflection. And once the manager reaches here, he is able to practice theory from different approaches and critically reflect on them continually or rather reflection in action as Schon (1987) puts it forward. An overview into todays financial crisis and the great fall of some of the lead companies like Lehman brothers and GE, mirror the lack of reflective practice and its implementation. And the unsurpassed part is that, these slide downs of one company creates a sequence of events in the global scenario. The triumph of any manager lies in not only equipping themselves with different theories, but rather reflecting these theories retrospectively and moving ahead.

And the team argues that Management schools turn out to be the bridge that connects theory to practice, with its stress over practitioners furnishing the students with reflective theories. And feels this journey incomplete without mentioning the approach of Revan (1983),who has put much relevance of practice in education with the equation L =PQ, where Learning (L), is the product of contributions of P (Programmed Instruction-the information drawn from already existing model and Q ( Spontaneous Questioning- The knowledge derived from questioning and experimentation).

Conclusion
Theory provides a way to explain and make sense of the evidence or complexities presented to the thinking manager by providing a number of frames or lenses through which to view the situation (Huxham C. and Beech N. 2003). A glance into the history of organizational analysis generates an intricate theoretical world of battling outlooks and positions. As the journey moves ahead to the twenty first century, there is a boost of questions as well as answers. We have to move away from the thought that there is a one size fit all solution to organizational issues. The preconceived theories and images determine what we see, what we do and how we judge what we accomplish (Bolmen.L.G, Deal. T, E). A manager with better theory and competence to use them instinctively with expertise will have a world of excitement and possibility, and on the other face those managers who blind themselves to the importance of theory will end up in a world of frustration and failure. The role of MBA comes in the valley of this disparity of opportunity and collapse. Ashton (1988) notes that managerial performance demands constitute prime subjects for discussion in management education settings. And to make the MBA students more proficient in managing, this review advocates the necessity of incorporating and interspersing theory and practice in Management education programs. Theory should challenge the practice and vice versa, which would facilitate the managers to accept pressures and responsibilities.

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References
Asenova, V., (2008), The Current Financial Crisis: Causes, Consequences and Lessons for Theory and Policy. Available from: http://www.pergceu.blogspot.com/2008/11/current-financial-crisis-causes.html Last access date: 20 March 2009
Cunningham, B., (1990), What Should We Emphasise in Management Development? Management Research News, Vol. 13, No. 5. Englehart J. (2001), The Marriage Between Theory and Practice, Public Administration Review. 61 (3) 371-374. American Society for Public Administration Gary Hamel. (February 2009), Moon Shots for Management, Harvard Business Review, p 92, 94, 95. Huxham, C. and Beech, N. (2003), Contrary prescriptions: Recognizing good practice tensions in management, Organization Studies, Vol 24, 69-92. 2003 Sage Publications (London, Thousand Oaks, CA and New Delhi) Joseph A. Raelin. (May-June 1993), Theory and practice: their roles, relationship, and limitations in advanced management education - master of business administration degree Business Horizons. Kotter (1982), The General Managers, Managing book, University of Strathclyde, p 77. Llewellyn, S., (1996), Theories for theorists or theories for practice?, Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Vol. 9 No. 4, pp. 112-118. MCB University Press. Mintzberg, H., (1975), The Managers Job: Folklore and fact, Harvard Business review, July/August 1975 Schein, E. H., (1996), Kurt Lewin's change theory in the field and in the classroom: Notes toward a model of managed learning, Journal of systemic practice and action research, Vol. 9, No.1, pp-27-47 Available from http://www.a2zpsychology.com/articles/kurt_lewin's_change_theory.htm Smith B., (1993), "Building Managers from the Inside Out", Developing Managers through Competency based Action Learning, Journal of Management Development, Vol. 12 No, 1. pp. 43-48.MCB University Press,

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Appendices
1. Peer Assessment The team confirms that the coursework was done by each member of the group. Contribution for group member: Name Bapna Modayil Meriem Kadia Omniya Al Beloushi Manoj Soni Salah Kooheji Rating 1 1 1 1 1

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2. Statements of Academic Honesty Bapna Modayil I, Bapna Modayil, confirm I investigated and did the coursework with my team for managing assignment. Kadia Meriem I confirm, I have discussed, analyzed and investigated the coursework of managing assignment with my team, the work was done by each member of the group. Meriem Kadia. Omniya Al Beloushi
All tasks were completed through discussion with the group.

Manoj Soni I confirm, I have discussed and analyzed the assignment work with my group. Salah Kooheji

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Section A-Notes on Decision making process Recoup to Existence

The case chosen for decision making process was a personal case of one of the team members. The case illustrates the crucial decisions to be made in a life and death situation, in which our team member becomes a witness. The case was analyzed for the decision making process and the pros and cons pointed out. The tragedy occurred in Bahrain 4 years back and it took the lives of 56 people. Our team member was called to the scene by one of the victims of the tragedy. The accident time (middle of the night) and the lack of supporting resources made the rescue operations even worse. Lack of experience, catastrophic situation and the issue of dealing peoples lives made the process even more complicated. After considering the shortcomings, the decisions are made after gathering as much information as possible and concluding relevantly. The options were identified, but the consequences were not assessed. The timely and apt decisions made could save 6 human lives.

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Section B-Notes on Managing across Organizational Boundaries Beyond a Joint Venture

The case illustrates the joint venture of 2 retail business groups-The Jawad Group and The Gajaria group. The 2 companies agree to move ahead with a joint venture with electrical solutions and form a new entity under shared control. A brief history into the Jawad groups business reveals, a financially strong retailer, with diverse products from apparel to food franchisees, strong political background and geographically diverse extending from India to Middle East. The Gajaria group, the pioneers in electrical business, been in the market for 70 years and is also listed in Bahrain stock exchange. They have a strong presence in the Bahrain retail and wholesale market. In 2008, Gajaria moved ahead with the idea of a joint venture to get support in their business. The Jawad group with their strong leadership and international presence acquired a 49% stake in the venture and has funded the working capital. The documented deal was transparent and the rules and regulations for the management process put clearly across. Backed by the competence of both the companies, the operations and performance started off as a lead in the market. The case started its issues when the day to day processes started taking more than a week to get done, as it had to be looked upon by both the managements. The delay in decision making, lack of focus on customer service, delay in recruitment etc lead to unsatisfied employees and customers. The share prices had a steep downfall.

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The case is an example of clear cut failure of Joint venture.

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Section C- Theory & Practice

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Section D- Innovation

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Notes

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