Reading notes: Peter Drucker's "Understanding Management" Chapter 28 Performance Spirit

1. Overview of Chapter Contents

The purpose of the organization is to enable ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Therefore, the performance spirit is a test of the organization, which requires a commitment to concrete practice rather than preaching. The most important thing is to recognize that honesty and integrity are an absolute requirement for managers.

2. Chapter Question Set

Question 1:What are the practices that constitute ethics in organizations?

The practices that constitute ethics in organizations mainly include the following aspects:

1. Establish ethical principles and values: Organizations need to have clear ethical principles and values ​​that should run through all levels of the organization and provide guidance for the organization’s behavior.
2. Transparency and Integrity: Organizations need to maintain transparency and integrity and ensure that all employees are aware of the organization's ethical standards and code of conduct and adhere to these standards.
3. Monitoring and Enforcement: Organizations need to establish monitoring mechanisms to ensure that all employees adhere to ethical principles and values. If a violation of the Code of Ethics is discovered, the organization should take prompt action to ensure that such behavior is corrected.
4. Education and training: Organizations need to continuously enhance employees’ understanding of ethical principles and values ​​and ensure that they have the necessary ethical competencies. In addition, organizations also need to provide relevant training courses to help employees improve their ethical literacy and identify potential ethical risks.
5. Community participation: Organizations can actively fulfill social responsibilities and improve the social image and reputation of the organization by participating in community activities, paying attention to social issues, and supporting public welfare undertakings.
6. Respect the rights and interests of employees: Organizations need to respect the rights and interests of employees and ensure their safety and dignity in the workplace. In addition, organizations should also pay attention to the welfare and needs of employees and provide them with a good working environment and career development opportunities.
7. Pay attention to environmental protection: Organizations need to pay attention to environmental protection, adopt sustainable production methods and management models, and reduce the impact on the environment.

These practices are important factors that constitute ethics in organizations. They help organizations achieve sustainable development and improve their reputation and competitiveness.

Question 2:Why should managers not trust people who never make mistakes?

Managers should not trust people who never make mistakes, because such people are often overconfident and lack room for reflection and improvement. They may be set in their ways and ignore the suggestions and feedback of others, thereby hindering innovation and growth in the organization. In addition, people who never make mistakes often lack a clear understanding of their own abilities and are prone to overestimating their abilities, resulting in mistakes and omissions in their work.

Instead, good managers trust people who are willing to admit their mistakes and actively improve. Such people usually have the ability to self-reflect and learn, and can learn from their mistakes to improve their abilities and performance. They are more open and tolerant, willing to listen to other people's opinions and suggestions, and able to work with others to achieve common goals. Therefore, managers should pay more attention to people's growth and development and encourage employees to constantly try, learn and improve at work.

Question 3:Why is it a lack of compassion to leave someone in a position they are not suitable for??

Leaving someone in a position they are not suitable for can have a negative impact on an employee's career development and mental health and lacks compassion.

First, employees may not be able to fulfill their talents and potential in positions for which they are not suited, which can lead to feelings of frustration, helplessness, and loss. If employees remain in this state for a long time, their career development may stagnate and they may even lose enthusiasm and motivation for their work.

Second, employees may experience stress and anxiety in positions for which they are not suited. They may worry about their job performance, comments from colleagues, and criticism from superiors. This stress and anxiety can have a negative impact on employees’ mental health, causing them to feel exhausted, frustrated, and helpless.

Therefore, leaving someone in a position they are not suitable for lacks compassion because it does not take into account the employee's career development and mental health. A compassionate manager should provide employees with appropriate support and guidance to help them find suitable positions and development opportunities to promote their personal growth and career development.

Question 4:What does an individual’s poor performance on a specific task demonstrate?

An individual's poor performance on a specific task may be evidence of the following:

1. Lack of necessary skills or knowledge: This may be due to the individual lacking the specific skills or knowledge required to complete the task, or the individual's skills and knowledge being insufficient to meet the challenges of the task.
2. Lack of motivation or interest: Individuals may lack the necessary drive or interest in the task, which may result in them lacking commitment or enthusiasm for the task.
3. Poor communication or teamwork issues: A lack of effective communication or collaboration among team members can lead to misunderstandings or conflicts during task execution, which can impact performance.
4. Task difficulty is too high or too low: The difficulty of the task may not be appropriate for the individual, it may be too complex or too simple, resulting in the individual not being able to fully utilize their abilities or lacking sufficient challenge.
5. Lack of support or guidance: Necessary support or guidance may not be received, such as a lack of relevant resources, advice, or feedback, which may leave the individual confused in a task or unable to solve problems effectively.
6. Personal factors: Such as personal mood, health status, family pressure, etc., may affect an individual's performance on a specific task.

It is important to note that poor performance does not necessarily mean a lack of personal ability. In many cases, poor performance may be due to external, situational or personal factors. Therefore, it is crucial to conduct in-depth analysis of the causes of poor performance and take appropriate measures.

Question 5:Typical"Conscience Case" What?What are the guidelines for handling such cases?< /span>

In Drucker's writings, he mentioned many"cases of conscience" a>, these cases are about how companies make ethical and responsible decisions. Among them, a typical example is Johnson & Johnson. When this company encountered a product crisis, its first thought was to protect the interests of consumers and employees instead of pursuing profit maximization. Johnson & Johnson immediately recalled all potentially affected products and notified the public. Although this was a huge economic loss, Johnson & Johnson's decision-making won the respect and trust of the public.

The guidelines for handling such cases are: First, the company should have a clear ethical and responsibility standard, which should permeate all decisions and actions of the company. Secondly, when encountering a crisis or problem, companies should take immediate action to protect the interests of consumers and employees rather than pursuing profit maximization. Finally, companies should be honest about problems and communicate with the public and stakeholders to gain their understanding and support.

In short, if a company wants to win the respect and trust of the public, it must make ethical and responsible decisions and act responsibly when it encounters problems.

Question 6:An organization that always focuses on problems will not have a high-spirited performance spirit, so what should the organization focus on??< /span>

Organizations should focus on goals, performance and employee motivation. Managers set goals, break them down into manageable tasks and positions, and communicate them to employees to motivate them to integrate as a team. At the same time, managers also need to determine evaluation standards and methods to ensure that the overall performance of the organization and individual work are paid attention to and analyzed. Finally, managers need to explain the meaning of evaluation results and evaluation criteria to motivate employees to improve performance. Therefore, organizations should focus on goals, performance and employee motivation to ensure that the overall performance of the organization and the individual work of employees are fully paid attention to and analyzed, and to inspire high-spirited performance among employees.

Question 7:What is the most critical personnel decision?

The most critical people decisions are to identify and attract the best employees who can make the greatest contribution to the organization, and to ensure that they are effectively integrated into the organization and realize their potential. This includes:

1. Recruitment and Selection: Identifying and attracting people with potential and talent and ensuring they fit the organization's culture and values.
2. Training and development: Provide necessary training and development opportunities to help employees improve their skills and knowledge, and encourage them to achieve personal and professional development.
3. Incentives and Rewards: Establish an effective compensation and benefits system to motivate employees to achieve higher performance and ensure that they are fairly rewarded.
4. Team building: Create a positive, supportive team culture that encourages employees to collaborate and share knowledge and experience to achieve common goals.
5. Feedback and Evaluation: Provide timely, constructive feedback to help employees understand their performance and progress, and provide appropriate rewards and incentives.
6. Leadership Development: Develop employees with leadership potential and provide opportunities for them to participate in key decisions and direction of the organization.
7. Employee Relations Management: Establish good employee relations, listen to employees' opinions and suggestions, and resolve any potential problems or conflicts to ensure employees feel respected and valued.

These decisions are critical to the success of the organization because they directly impact employee performance, satisfaction, and loyalty, thereby affecting the performance and success of the organization. Therefore, managers need to carefully consider these factors and take appropriate measures to ensure that the most critical people decisions are implemented correctly.

Question 8:What is the symbolic meaning of the promotion decision?

The symbolic meaning of a promotion decision usually includes the following:

1. Recognition and Rewards: Promotions recognize and reward employees for their past and present efforts and achievements. It usually brings higher status, more responsibilities and better compensation and benefits, so promotion decisions usually motivate employees to work harder for better career development.
2. Leadership and influence: Promotion means an increase in an employee’s leadership and influence in the organization. Promotion decisions usually give employees more power and responsibility, allowing them to play a greater role in the organization and have a more positive impact on the success and development of the organization.
3. Organizational Commitment and Loyalty: Promotion decisions often increase employee organizational commitment and loyalty. When employees see that their efforts are recognized and rewarded by the organization, they usually feel more loyal to the organization and are willing to make greater contributions to the organization's success and development.
4. Personal growth and development: Promotion decisions often provide employees with more opportunities to grow and develop. As employees' status and responsibilities in the organization increase, they will face more challenges and opportunities, which will prompt them to continuously improve their skills and abilities to adapt to new roles and responsibilities.

In short, the symbolic significance of promotion decisions lies in the positive impact on employee recognition and rewards, leadership status and influence, organizational commitment and loyalty, and personal growth and development. These impacts will help motivate employees to work harder and make greater contributions to the success and development of the organization.

Question 9:What is the most unforgivable shortcoming of a manager?

A manager's most unforgivable flaws may include a lack of leadership, a lack of integrity, and a lack of respect.

First, a lack of leadership is one of the most unforgivable flaws of a manager. A good leader should be able to clearly express their vision and goals, inspire enthusiasm and motivation in team members, and be able to communicate their message effectively. If a manager fails to demonstrate these abilities, they may lose the trust and respect of their team members, leading to instability and inefficiency in the team.

Secondly, lack of integrity is also one of the unforgivable shortcomings of managers. A manager with integrity should always be truthful and transparent, keep commitments and demonstrate high ethical standards. If a manager loses integrity, they may lose the trust and respect of their team members, leading to team instability and inefficiency.

Finally, a lack of respect is one of the unforgivable shortcomings of a manager. A good manager should respect the opinions, feelings and needs of team members and be able to build a culture of mutual respect. If a manager fails to demonstrate this respect, they may lose the support and cooperation of their team members, leading to instability and inefficiency in the team.

In summary, managers need to possess leadership, integrity, and respect as key qualities to be able to effectively lead their teams and achieve success. If they lack these qualities, they can become a destabilizing factor for the team and lead to inefficiency and job dissatisfaction.

Question 10:Why is it said“Management cannot create leaders”?

Management cannot create leaders because leadership is a trait that cannot be created or bestowed. Leadership is an intrinsic, innate ability that stems from an individual's traits, values, experiences and skills. Although management can identify and develop potential leaders, it cannot directly create leaders.

Leadership is a form of influence, the ability of a leader to influence others through their personal traits, values ​​and behaviors, stimulating the potential and enthusiasm of team members to achieve organizational goals. Leadership does not simply rely on position or power, but requires leaders to possess qualities such as charisma, foresight, professional knowledge and communication skills.

Although management can set strategies, assign tasks, and manage day-to-day affairs, they cannot inspire the potential and enthusiasm of their teams in the same way that leaders can. The job of management is to ensure that the organization runs smoothly and efficiently, while the leader's task is to guide the organization in the right direction and inspire the motivation and creativity of team members.

Therefore, management cannot create leaders, but it can identify and develop potential leaders and provide them with support and guidance to help them develop into successful leaders.