Philosophy of Management

2. Philosophy of Management
Dr. Naveed Anwer
naveed.anwer@lbs.uol.edu.pk
0331-2416136
Fall 2022 - 1st Nov 2022

3. • Dr. Naveed Anwer
– Ph.D. (OB)
– Contextualizing Psychological Contracts and
Psychological Contract Breach Among Service
Sector Employees of Pakistan: A Mixed Methods
Research Design

5. We want answers to certain things that are not inherently obvious
What is obvious? The instincts and reactions that are built into our DNA represent
responses that we consider obvious.
What you would do if a predator approaches to you ?
What if you have a gun or knife ? What if you are equipped with nothing?
This is an obvious response to this type of situation, and it is built into all humans
around the world.
Same is the case with Animals
The instincts built into us are essentially the responses that worked most of the time.

7. “An unexamined life is
not worth living” Socrates

8. • It is interesting now to wonder why we ask questions ---- we have the
genetic information needed to survive.
• Questions and answers allowed for new solutions to be found that
improved our way of life.
• When humans controlled fire for the first time, we could scare away
predators and establish places of community around the bonfire.
• It granted us the time to think and ask questions.
• As we became farmers,
• We stored food in larger quantities and established the very first
societies.
• With excess food, we had more time to ask questions to which we had
no answers.
• the flooding of a river (such as the Nile) to benefit their agricultural
systems? With this question came irrigation.
• With agriculture, …. calendars ….. planning of crops into the future.
Astronomers built observatories to look at the sky.

10. • The role of religion
• One of the goal of religion is to also seek
answers
• Religions with a religious doctrine (such as the
Holy Quran)
• This is comforting for many humans

11. • Religion can spur on the asking of questions
and the pursuit of knowledge
• Islamic Golden Age, between the 8th and 13th
Centuries, scientific exploration
• Asking questions and seeking answers
created an environment that promoted
learning

12. • From our basic genetic instincts to a more
advanced and fulfilling pursuit of life
• How about those who do not ask questions?
• It is in our human nature to seek answers as
answers provide security.
• Many questions means that one is willing to
not find the answer immediately
• It takes time to find answers.
• How do you feel when you find the answers ?

13. • The act of questioning and the receiving of subsequent answers is the
equivalent of “H2O”, “Green Marketing Mix”, “Motivation”, “Investment
Behaviors” for the curious mind; without it, there would be no increase on
our levels of understanding.
• There is a limit of what we know and what we can know. But, the
thinking have no limits.
• There will always be questions unanswered. It’s frustrating to search so
more, so deep, so far
• “We were born too late to experience the struggling history …… and too
early to experience the glorious future……. but we’re born at just the right
time- to answer many questions, to question many answers, to explore
what can be asked and what should be asked……..”

14. UN The Millennium Project

15. Why do we ask questions?
1.Divide yourself in 5 groups, Choose 3 items and provide example / Scenario
1. To acquire knowledge
2. To eliminate confusion
3. To cause someone else to feel special/important
4. To guide a conversation in the direction we want it to go
5. To demonstrate humility to others
6. To enable a person to discover answers for themselves
7. To gain empathy through better understanding another’s view
8. To influence/alter someone else’s opinion/view
9. To begin a relationship
10. To strengthen a relationship
11. To humbly show we have knowledge on a specific topic
12. To stimulate creativity and idea generation
13. To gain a person’s attention
14. To solve a problem
15. To reach agreement or to “agree to disagree”

16. Some Important Thoughts
• “I would rather discover one true cause than
gain the kingdom of Persia” — Democritus
• We cannot live better than in seeking to
become better. The unexamined life is not
worth living- Socrates
• You will never do anything in this world
without courage. – Plato
• “Educating the mind without educating the
heart is no education at all.” - Aristotle

19. Do Questions have any link with
Knowledge?

20. Knowledge
• It is a familiarity with someone or something,
which can include information, facts,
descriptions, or skills acquired through
experience or education.
• It can be implicit (as with practical skill or
expertise)
• Explicit (as with the theoretical understanding of
a subject); and it can be more or less formal or
systematic. (The Oxford Dictionary)
• Which one you think is important Knowledge –
Implicit or Explicit?

21. What is important
Question or Answer,
and Why ?

22. Aspects of Knowledge
• Know-That: The Basic sense of Knowing
• Know-How: The Knowledge of how to get things done
• Know-Who: Knowing who can help.
• Know-When: A sense of timing.
• Know-Where: Knowing where things are best carried out.
• Know-Why: The wider context and vision.

23. • Know-That: You knew that the search engines would give you websites that
would supply you with information close to what you typed in as a search.
You knew that was how to get to this page to find this information.
• Know-How: You knew how to Search, You knew how to distinguish between
good solid information and others. You knew how to enter the search terms
and then to interpret the information returned.
• Know-Who: You knew the person writing webpages / articles/ whom you
can ask
• Know-When: You knew when to go online and search
• Know-Where: You knew where to go online and where to search.
• Know-Why: You knew why this information might be of importance to your
work or indeed to your Ph.D. / knowledge
Finding Articles online

24. Task - Group of 3-5 members
• Apply these aspects on any example of your
choice
• i.e. Designing Problem Statement for your
Thesis
• Present

25. 3.Why you want to do
Ph.D.?

26. Why you want to do Ph.D.?
• Knowledge
• Interest
• Want to bring change in existing knowledge
• Interest to know the reality
• Challenge the Status quo
• Degree
• $
• Status
• Fashion
• Career Growth

27. 4. Ph.D. - a journey …
What is required to do
your Ph.D.?

28. Ph.D. - a journey of thousand miles
……..
• Knowledge
• Desire
• Passion
• Capacity
• Systematic /Planned (Job, Family, Study)
• Read, Write, Practice
• Collaborative
• Nomadic Thinker
• Milestones
Please ask these questions to yourself

29. The world of Philosophy
• A Way of Thinking , Belief and ,to search for
meaning, for greater understanding, for
answers to the questions surrounding our
existence, our purpose, and the universe.
• A research philosophy is a framework that
guides how research should be conducted
based on ideas about reality and the nature
of knowledge (Collis and Hussey, 2014, p.43)

30. Science and Social Science
• What is science?
• What is social science?
• How these two are related or unrelated?
• Main subjects related to science?
• Main subjected related to social science?
• Where Business Administration / Management
will fit in?
• Management as discipline
• Management -science or art