# Management Fads By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2022-09-20 There is something about management that seems inordinately susceptible to fads. A fad might be defined as a pronounced popularization that is sustained for only a brief period. Within management, there has been, among others, _management by [[objectives]]_, _matrix management_, _one-minute management_, _management by walking around_, _total [[quality]] management_, _empowerment_, and _360-degree management_. If it is the case that management is more susceptible to fads than other disciplines, one might reasonably wonder why. There are undoubtedly multiple contributors to this phenomenon. One potential aspect deals with the Business Consultancy Complex. To continue to consult with existing clients, after they have adopted a given approach, it might be advantageous to “up sale” them into a new perspective. If some blue-chip companies succeed using the new management approach this can spark widespread interest through benchmarking. If a management consultancy thinks a new conceptualization of management will be more marketable, they will likely adopt that one as their model. From this perspective, management fads can be seen as consultancies rotating their product line. While this likely occurs, it does little to explain the realities within organizations that would make this approach profitable. Internally, organizations seem to have a perpetual need for new management approaches. This is easier to explain. Management is an intractable problem. Management fads provide focus on certain aspects which are ameliorated through increased attention. Once these concerns recede, other concerns gain prominence. The current management approach does not provide sufficient attention to those aspects, which seems to necessitate a new management approach. Management fads are seductive because they appear to address an organization's most pressing concern. To the degree to which the approach works, other concerns become more pressing. In short, an approach to management is limited to whether it works. If it does, it will be replaced as other needs emerge; if it doesn’t it will be replaced by an approach that does. This suggests that perhaps any management [[success]] is limited. Management fads help define aspects of dealing with human [[complexity]]. Going back through the various approaches to management suggest some of what were considered pressing organizational, and humanistic, concerns of the day. Through the completion of these fads, one can see patterns and gaps. Each is beneficial for those attempting to create organizations of authenticity and [[performance]]. #### Related Items [[Management]] [[Business]] [[Consulting]] [[Complex Systems]] [[Authenticity]]