The job of management is to act on the system, this means being competent in:
- Understanding how the organisation works as a system
- Conveying this understanding to others
- Articulating the aims (or purpose) of the system
- Valuing measures of achievement of purpose above all other measures
- Knowing the relationship between leading and lagging measures
- Demonstrating the value of co-operation between groups; working for the same purpose
- Showing people how their work contributes to the system (and purpose)
- Placing a value on learning and the development of knowledge (for self and his/her people)
- Using measures in such a way as to improve knowledge, prediction and decision-making
- Understanding variation and using knowledge of variation to drive decision-making
- Providing people with the wherewithal to do their work and improve their work
These competencies can only be developed through action.