Five coordinating mechanisms seem to explain the fundamental ways in which organizations coordinate their work: mutual adjustment, direct supervision, standardization of work processes, standardization of work outputs, and standardization of worker skills.

— Henry Mintzberg

Henry Mintzberg Quotes

Theory is a dirty word in some managerial quarters. That is rather curious, because all of us, managers especially, can no more get along without theories than libraries can get along without catalogs and for the same reason: theories help us make sense of incoming information.

— Henry Mintzberg

I describe management as arts, crafts and science. It is a practice that draws on arts, craft and science and there is a lot of craft – meaning experience – there is a certain amount of craft meaning insight, creativity and vision, and there is the use of science, technique or analysis.

— Henry Mintzberg

Data don’t generate theory – only researchers do that.

— Henry Mintzberg

Never set out to be the best. It’s too low a standard. Set out to be good. Do Your best.

— Henry Mintzberg

Corporations are economic entities, to be sure, but they are also social institutions that must justify their existence by their overall contribution to society.

— Henry Mintzberg

Why does every generation have to think that he lives in the period with the greatest turbulence?

— Henry Mintzberg

While hard data may inform the intellect, it is largely soft data that generates wisdom.

— Henry Mintzberg

An obsession with control generally seems to reflect a fear of uncertainty.

— Henry Mintzberg

The prime occupational hazard of a manager is superficiality.

— Henry Mintzberg

Strategies grow initially like weeds in a garden, they are not cultivated like tomatoes in a hothouse.

— Henry Mintzberg

Technologies tend to undermine community and encourage individualism.

— Henry Mintzberg

That is the trouble with flying: We always have to return to airports. Thank of how much fun flying would be if we didn’t have to return to airports.

— Henry Mintzberg

Anecdotal data is not incidental to theory development at all, but an essential part of it.

— Henry Mintzberg

Effective managing therefore happens where art, craft, and science meet. But in a classroom of students without managerial experience, these have no place to meet there is nothing to do.

— Henry Mintzberg

Everyone is against micro managing but macro managing means you’re working at the big picture but don’t know the details.

— Henry Mintzberg

To ‘turn around’ is to end up facing the same way. Maybe that is the problem, all the turning organizations around.

— Henry Mintzberg

It is time to recognize conventional MBA programs for what they are – or else to close them down. They are specialized training in the functions of business, not general educating in the practice of management.

— Henry Mintzberg

If the private sectors are about markets and the public sectors are about governments, then the plural sector is about communities.

— Henry Mintzberg

We have great managers who havent spent a day in management school. Do we have great surgeons that havent spent a day in surgical school?

— Henry Mintzberg

Managing is about nuance as much as it is about decisiveness.

— Henry Mintzberg
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