Knowledge and Action: The Management Path of Technicians - Reading#
There are many books on management available in the market, but there may only be this one that specifically discusses how technicians transition into management roles. The author previously worked in technology at Baidu and later moved into management consulting in the IT industry. The book is characterized by its clear structure; the author first explains the overall framework of management and then fills in the details layer by layer. Almost all issues encountered in daily management can be found within this framework.
Before explaining the management framework, the author discusses common confusions faced by technicians transitioning to management, one of which is how to reconcile the relationship between technology and management, and whether to continue delving deeper into technology. How can one balance "technology" and "management"? For technical managers, it is essential to maintain "technical judgment" without necessarily engaging in technical implementation. This essentially refers to the ability to evaluate technology, including: What exactly is this task? What technology should be used to accomplish it? Is it worth doing?
Regarding the management framework, the author elaborates on the following diagram throughout the book:
Figure 1. Overview of the Management Framework
Role Awareness#
Role awareness means that as a manager, one must clearly understand their role in order to act in accordance with the expectations of that role.
To be a "professional" manager, recognizing one's role is the most basic and important prerequisite. As discussed earlier, role awareness is present in every word and action of a manager's work; it is omnipresent, much like air, permeating daily management. When making management plans, building teams, managing tasks, or communicating, if a manager does not understand their role well, their inappropriate words and actions can lead to unnecessary management difficulties and even management accidents.
Figure 2. Role Awareness
Management Planning#
- In terms of meaning, management planning is the management vision constructed in your mind, representing the future direction of management.
- In terms of form, management planning is a "contract" that reflects the consensus reached between you and your superiors regarding future management work.
- In terms of content, management planning aims to answer the question: What resources will your team invest to achieve what goals? If you have a clear understanding of the term "strategy," management planning is essentially your "management strategic planning."
Figure 3. Management Planning
Team Building#
Team building, in broad terms, is about "leading a team."
Figure 4. Team Building
Task Management#
Getting things done and achieving results is the focal point of management work, and it is also the most important standard and basis for verifying whether management planning is reasonable and team building is effective. As managers, we often need to "let results speak for themselves." So, what can we do to help us achieve the expected results smoothly? We refer to these topics collectively as "task management." Since most work exists in the form of "projects," task management is largely project management; however, we use the term "task management" to encompass non-project-based work.
Figure 5. Team Building
Management Communication#
Management typically refers to managing a team, which means that collaboration among people is inevitable, and collaboration among multiple people cannot happen without communication. As the overall coordinator of collaboration, almost all management work is achieved through communication. Management communication runs through every aspect of management work and keeps all management activities operational; it is the vehicle for management work.
Figure 6. Team Building
Thank you for reading, and I hope this article can be of help to you!