Kudos to Jack H. Grossman for his analysis of management “techniques.” His parallels between good managers and good teachers were particularly appropriate. I am a foreign language teacher, and this field is also prone to inventing ever new “techniques” while repeatedly missing the boat.
What really makes a good teacher is a combination of thorough knowledge of the subject matter (which creates confidence) and personality (in particular, enthusiasm and a sense of humor).
A suitable candidate can become a good teacher without the official ministrations of a university education school, as alternative certification programs in states like New Jersey are proving.
Unfortunately Mr. Grossman does not comment on the reasons why management schools are constantly reinventing the wheel (albeit couched in trendy new jargon). It is because business, like education, has become a thoroughly academicized field, which means there are graduate schools of business all over the country filled with professors and graduate students who have to justify their existence without having any truly legitimate work to do or genuine contributions to make.
Something must be screwy if people are becoming doctors of philosophy in marketing. As long as the need for grist for the dissertation and publication mills is so great, this kind of nonsense will continue ad infinitum.
