"Beyond Borders--Chinese Private Entrepreneurs and Professional Managers"

Author: Zhang Jianjun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: What is professional management? Simply put, professional management means relying on "rule of law" rather than "rule by man" to solve internal enterprise problems; it means the enterprise operates according to procedures and rules, not personal interests or emotions. Of course, I am not denying the importance of personal authority and charisma in the operation of enterprises. However, only when the charm of entrepreneurs becomes proceduralized power does the enterprise practice professional management. Professional management cannot be separated from professional managers. What is a professional manager? A professional manager achieves status through professional competence rather than background; they rely on knowledge and service, not on providing capital or selling final products for returns. Professional managers are different from entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs do not directly sell knowledge and skills but earn compensation only after transforming them into sellable products, which involves significant risks. Professional managers directly sell knowledge. For entrepreneurs, innate qualities are the most important, while acquired knowledge is secondary. But for professional managers, the situation may be reversed: acquired knowledge is the most important, while innate qualities are secondary. This makes it undeniable that management education is crucial for professional management. Currently, management in China is not very professional, but historically, China is the country with the most professional management tradition. American professional management has only about one hundred years of history, while China's professional management has two thousand years of history. Of course, our professional management did not occur in enterprises but in the government.