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The prevailing - and foolish - attitude is that a good manager can be a good manager anywhere, with no special knowledge of the production process he's managing. A man with a financial background may know nothing about manufacturing shoes or cars, but he's put in charge anyway.
W. Edwards Deming
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Effective management requires specific knowledge of the field being managed, rather than just generic skills.

W. Edwards Deming emphasizes the importance of understanding the specific processes related to the field of management. He critiques the common belief that anyone can manage a team or project effectively without specialized knowledge, highlighting the foolishness of assigning managers without relevant expertise, such as in manufacturing, where technical understanding is crucial for success.

Themes

ManagementLeadershipKnowledgeExpertiseProduction

In practice

Example use cases

In a training seminar for new managers, this quote can be used to stress the importance of specialized knowledge in leadership.

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