Free Report Sample on Management by Groping Along

1) Provide an overview. Summarize major points. What are the most important theories, arguments, or ideas? How does the information relate to the topics addressed for the scheduled seminar/chapter readings?

In his Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Robert Behn talks about how managers can lead the agencies more so the government agencies to produce excellent and significant results. In most cases, the managers will not just come up with a perfect plan that will work for everybody, and that's why they should come up with a plan, implement it, and see if it works. If not, they try another one. Robert Behn emphasizes that managerial challenges are to be seen instead as unique. This is what he termed as “management by groping along” or rather management by experimenting as many would call it.

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Many managers that would dive right into a situation without proper planning most cases, end up losing it. This way the manager needs to have their goal in mind and plan strategically from where they are and come up with plans they can implement. Robert Behn talks of how the manager should be organized and also consider giving morale to the workers via motivation, and this will, in turn, bring out significant results.

In his article, Robert Behn brings out various renowned leaders and analyses them for a clearer picture of how the situation is. Groping along is trying out many plans to see which one works best. This is different from strategic planning, whereby the managers have a specific plan to implement, and of which it does not go well usually. Generally, he talks about the managers experimenting with the many managerial principles and seeing what works best for your agency to bring out significant results.

2) Evaluate the points of significance. What evidence or information is used to support the author’s assertions? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the article? Is the information presented clearly and concisely?

Robert Behn talks about Ira A. Jackson, who was appointed as the commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Revenue in 1983. He knew nothing about tax collection, but he just implemented a plan he had, and after around six months, he implemented extreme restrictions that worked.

Managers who grope along have an added advantage because they always know the way and the direction in which they are heading. The article talks about some leaders like Jackson and Miller, who did not use Management by Groping Along and preferably used management by adaptation and ended up failing. The Management by Groping Along is crucial because it gives the managers the ability to be more purposeful and realistic. After all, most managers will not even admit to themselves that they are groping along.

The Management by Groping Along is also of significance because it helps the managers to predict what to do. They can have in place many plans, but maybe one or two will work. In this way, the manager can determine which plan to use to get him close to his goals.

The idea in most of the government agencies is not entertained, and also no manager wants to portray themselves groping along. This method means rising and making mistakes. No company will want a manager that risks their man out, but it will be at risk of getting lost. This means that the managers should not just make decisions, but they should also analyze the issue sufficiently to come up with a reasonable plan.

3) Conclusion Final comments on the quality of the article. What does the article demonstrate to you? What are the major takeaways from the article?

I think the quality of the article is very clear. This is because Behn expresses his ideas and suggestions in a very logical manner. He has also included real-life examples that we can all relate to and be able to analyze the situation carefully. He brings on board the stories of Jackson and Miller and sets out as an example related to management by groping along and where they went wrong.

From this article, one can learn that you will not always have a perfect plan that will work all the time. It is important mostly for those in government agencies to analyze the possible plans or solutions of a plan, the pros, and cons, and choose the best that fits, and if it does not work, they choose another plan. It is healthy for them to grope along, and this will guarantee good results. Management by Groping Along will lead to adaption and purpose. This is because one chooses a plan that will lead them close to their purpose, and if a plan works, it is adapted.

Management by Groping Along should also be taken as a learning process whereby the manager experiments and analyzes the plans that work and those that do not work. The managers also learn that they should not waste their time planning for their exact move since they cannot be sure of the outcome. The managers are always on the lookout for more ideas to analyze and also to eliminate those ideas that were not in the picture and did not bring good results. A final takeaway from this article is that also it provides the managers with ideas on what to do.